


Conspire Against the Odds

by littlecakes, stopmopingstarthoping



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Blitzball, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Manipulative Relationship, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Smut, Ugly Denim Confessional Couch, impossibly tight jeans, lightly questionable consent, rating subject to change for future chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2019-03-05
Packaged: 2019-08-01 13:56:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 39,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16285871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlecakes/pseuds/littlecakes, https://archiveofourown.org/users/stopmopingstarthoping/pseuds/stopmopingstarthoping
Summary: Ravus and Ignis' first semester at Tenebrae University seems promising- cozy apartments, good friends, and a promising lab position- that is, until they meet each other. As they square off,  the things around them seem to fall apart. The only thing that never seems to go away is the other, no matter how annoying they may be.





	1. One More Indecent Accident

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, BIG thanks to our AMAZING beta [denilmo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/denilmo/pseuds/denilmo) who is very patient as we figure out this whole process. She's super awesome and we love her. We also love you, for reading. Thank you!!

Ignis sighed and shifted the bag on his shoulder, looking from his phone to the street sign. _Facing the wrong way again_. He turned, and it was behind him. Moogle Maps had dependably revealed the closest coffee shop, and Ignis was sorely in need of caffeine. The jumble of details that had come with moving to a new city combined with the transfer to a new university had added up to an obnoxious amount of paperwork. He was anxious to simply sit, savor a cup, and perhaps review the details of his exciting new research project a little more. It was colder here than in Lucis this time of year and Ignis noticed the chill through his shirtsleeves. He made a mental note to root through his belongings for some sweaters, when he finally got a chance to unpack, and sighed.

 _Selena’s_ \- the curling script on the door welcomed him along with the rush of slightly-warmed air as he pushed the door open. A unique chain hooked over the door with several bells on it tinkled as it swung, and Ignis looked back down at his phone, checking the calendar app to see how much time he had before his scheduled meeting with a potential new roommate. He was still looking down at his phone when the barista called, “Next,” and he stepped forward without looking up.

Ignis’ step took him directly into the chest of a massively tall man with a distinctive shock of white hair, who was, himself, buried in a book and striding toward the door, similarly not paying attention. Ignis stepped back quickly, apologizing.

“Excuse me.”   

“Of all the _careless_ -” The man huffed through his nose and held his hands out and away from the coffee stain that was rapidly spreading across the bottom of his shirt and the top of his jeans. Pale eyebrows pulled flat in annoyance.

“Oh. Oh, I’m so sorry.” Ignis reached for some napkins, but the man held up a hand after fussily tucking his book away and shaking his head.

“It won’t do any good; I’m going to be late now.”  

Ignis blinked behind his glasses. Surely it wasn’t _his_ fault that this tall, annoyingly striking stranger had left so little time that he’d be made late by such a minor inconvenience.

Also - why wasn’t he moving? If he wasn’t so cross, Ignis would swear he was staring. The man was just standing, still directly in his path, his sullen pout slightly fading. He really was distinctively pale, Ignis mused, as he watched a slight pink flush tinge chiseled cheekbones.   

Refreshing his frown, the white-haired man turned his body swiftly to hustle by Ignis and out the door, leaving him to the mercies of the barista, a laid-back looking man with a friendly grin.

“What's your poison?” The man behind the counter waited patiently while Ignis perused the chalkboard menu.

“Large coffee, please. Black.” He was still a little distracted by everything he needed to do today and rumpled by the unpleasant encounter with the stranger.

The barista eyed him appraisingly. “ You a dark roast guy? You seem like you would be.”

Ignis nodded. “Well-guessed.”

“Can I get you to try my new blend? I like for folks who drink their coffee plain to taste it, tell me what they think. On the house if you don't like it.”

“Sure.” Ignis shrugged.

The man chattered pleasantly at Ignis while he poured the cup. “I'm Nyx, by the way. You visiting?”

“No, new to town. Nice to meet you, Nyx.”

The coffee smelled wonderful when Nyx set it down in front of him and Ignis inhaled appreciatively before remembering his manners. “I'm Ignis, and I will be sure to let you know what I think.” They shook hands, Ignis paid, and he gratefully sought out a table at which to land and order his thoughts. 

The place was busy but not packed - a couple groups of students here and there, and a loner with a laptop and giant headphones in the back corner.  A calming tendril of steam wafted up from the cup, and Ignis breathed in.

He got settled and then rummaged through his messenger bag for the folder of papers relating to his relocation. He flipped it open, and lingered a little sheepishly on his acceptance letter at the front. It was on official university letterhead with the embossed crest at the top from the head of the department, and it still made Ignis happy to look at it.

It had important administrative details as well and he scanned it briefly before flipping past. Nothing to be worried about today, thank goodness. He had enough to deal with worrying about housing.

The next page was a printout of the information relating to the bin at the storage facility where his things were. He rolled his eyes at that one, as it would have been unnecessary had the student housing not been full of undergraduates. Ignis hated being caught on the back foot like this just before the term started, but it was what it was. He took a sip of coffee, savored the taste for a moment, and flipped another page.

The next two pages were a map and a printed email. He eyeballed the email - still forty-five minutes before he was set to meet at - what was that, a dog run? He shrugged. The advertisement had clued him in that the potential roommate had a dog, and as long as it was a well-behaved animal, it shouldn’t be a problem. Also, the person who had posted the ad seemed to be a woman, judging by the name, so he understood why she might want their first meeting to be in public, though the thought saddened him a little.

Ignis took another sip of coffee, looking at the map for a moment. The streets and intersections were relatively meaningless to him and his thoughts drifted back to his new research project as he stared out the window. He was thrilled to put the techniques and theories he’d been working on to use here, and Tenebrae University had an excellent reputation, particularly for his field. He did hope the department head would turn out to be slightly less… taciturn than he’d seemed during his couple of telephone interviews, but his primary assistant was a plain-spoken, forthright woman that Ignis thought he would get along well with. She seemed just as interested as he was in getting to the bottom of some of the disputed historical facts of the region using cold, hard, data - cutting through to the truth of the matter. It was exciting.

He cradled the cup in his hands and breathed in. This coffee was quite good - he really did need to comment on it. He pondered the distinct taste of it for a long moment, taking another sip and setting the cup down. He supposed he’d better start his journey to the dog park soon, since it was fairly likely he’d get turned around again on the way there. Ulwaat certainly had a challenging layout, with rampant diagonals and streets that meandered at will from north-south to east-west. He missed the simple grid of Insomnia, but he knew he’d get up to speed soon enough.

He took a long, last sip as he stood up, stopping to gather his folder of papers and tuck them in his bag. As he put his cup in the plastic bin near the front, he nodded to Nyx.

“That coffee was quite distinctive. Very rich and slightly nutty, some notes of almond and toffee. Quite good. Thank you for suggesting it.”

“Glad you liked it.” Nyx broke out in a wide smile and called over to the dark-haired loner on his laptop. “See, babe, _some_ people can appreciate good beans.”

The man just laughed back at Nyx and shook his head, continuing to type furiously. “You love me and my crappy palate.”

Ignis watched their interaction and smiled, swinging the door open gently and stepping into the chill outside.

* * *

 

Unfortunately, the coffee stain persisted. The whirr of the ancient tubes of fluorescent lighting overhead was giving Ravus a headache as he stood before the mirror with fistfuls of paper towels in hand. He’d long since given up on actually trying to enjoy his coffee; what little was left was mostly cream.

 _So much for a six-dollar macchiato,_  he thought. Of course, thinking of the beverage cascading across his front like an expensive waterfall only brought the offender to mind. What a bumbling idiot. A bumbling idiot with sharp, green eyes and full lips and -

Ravus groaned in exasperation as he ripped another paper towel from the dispenser and rubbed at the stain furiously.

The crappy soap the university supplied the classical literature building with wasn’t any help. The pink, runny liquid actually made it _worse_ , if that were possible. Ravus swore bitterly under his breath as he scrubbed at the spots of coffee until the paper towel disintegrated into his skinny jeans. He conceded to using the hand dryer; he was tall enough that if he pressed his hips underneath it, it did an acceptable job of at least drying the massive wet spots he’d made in an attempt to clean up.

Looking down at the multicolored mess, Ravus grumbled. There was nothing he could do about it now. His meeting with Ardyn and Cor had started a few minutes ago. He couldn’t help the way his heart pounded a little in his chest when he thought about it, either, which was maddening. Ravus had worked under them both a few times since the middle of his undergrad; they shouldn’t make him nervous.

He did have to give himself some credit for his discomfort. Cor was in the top of their field and pioneered the movement to uncover the ancient texts Ravus was focusing his Master’s thesis on. Ardyn was the author of the textbooks Tenebrae University had been using for over ten years. There was a reason to be nervous around such noteworthy people- colleagues, he corrected.

Colleagues. He was no longer an undergraduate whelp; instead, he carried weight in the program now. His word meant something. There was a sense of satisfaction knowing he carried some sway, especially since he had Ardyn backing him. There was more to it than the personal relationship he maintained with his professor, though. His grades and hard work in his undergrad were more than enough to be proud of.

Still, he couldn’t help the way the sound of his Doc Martens colliding with the linoleum floor echoed through his ears just as much as his heartbeat did.

“Afternoon,” he said, an air of complacence in his voice, as he strolled into Ardyn’s office and closed the door behind him. Dropping his backpack to the floor, he sat in the chair beside Cor’s.

“You’re late,” Cor grumbled.

“Ah, give the man a break, Leonis,” Ardyn sang, flashing a smile at Ravus.

Ravus glanced between the two. There was no chance he would admit the reason he was late was because he was fretting over something as trivial as his appearance. He would rather not have had a reason at all. Ardyn knew better, though, and followed up quickly before Ravus could speak.

“Ravus, this is Cor Leonis, I’m sure you’ve heard of him?” Ardyn said with a wave of his hand.

“A pleasure, Dr. Leonis,” Ravus said, extending a hand.

Cor gave him a long, hard look before grasping it. With a gruff tone, he said, “Call me Cor.”

“Alright…” Ravus said, refraining from speaking further, lest he aggravate the man sitting before him; it was no secret how badly Ravus wanted to work with him. Cor’s work on the ancient texts of Tenebraen society had been his focus in his undergraduate career.

“I’m not one for small talk, so I’ll just tell you why I asked for this meeting,” Cor began, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “My lab’s down a graduate student. Your file just so happened to fall in my lap,” he continues, shooting a look at Ardyn, who only smirkedsmirks, “and you seem… apt… for the position. It’s my understanding that you haven’t chosen a focus for your graduate degree yet.

“Not on _paper,_ no, but it should be fairly obvious where my interests lie,” Ravus quipped.

Cor nods. “You want the job?”

“ _Yes_ ,” Ravus said without a moment’s hesitation. He knew his eyes were sharpening in excitement, that the twitch of a grin at the corner of his mouth was already giving away too much, that his heart was pounding in his chest in eager anticipation of what seemed to be a very promising future.

“Great. I’ll email you the details. See you Monday.”

Ravus bit his lip as he stared at the immaculately polished surface of Ardyn’s desk. Finally, after four years of hard work and sleepless nights, he was in. It was only natural, of course. Ravus had set himself up to be the perfect candidate to assist Cor Leonis in his research.

Ardyn cleared his throat, drawing Ravus’s multi-colored gaze to him. “You seem pleased,” he said, with his own pleasure painted plainly on his face, his golden eyes softening with delight.

“Dr. Izunia- _Ardyn,_ ” Ravus stammered- gods, he was stammering, this was embarrassing but he was just so pleased with himself- as he realized Cor had left and there was no more need for frivolous titles. The redhead kept smiling, though it had morphed from a professional, pleasant smile to something much more salacious.

“Come here, Ravus,” Ardyn said, patting the edge of his desk right in front of his chair. Ravus hesitated a moment, merely looking at Ardyn with a grin.

“Ravus, stop teasing,” Ardyn crooned, feigning hurt in his tone.

He tipped his head to the side and allowed a lock of ivory hair to slip in front of his face before he rose slowly from the chair and crossed the tiny room to sit against the edge of Ardyn’s desk. He towered over him as he was seated in his chair. Ardyn stood to close the gap, though he still was half a head shorter than Ravus. Size didn’t matter in this case; what Arydn lacked in height he made up for with a hungry, tenacious attitude that was more than enough for Ravus to sink his teeth into.

“Much better,” he murmured as he set his hands on Ravus’ narrow hips. He could barely utter his name before Ardyn’s lips were closing over his. The soft warmth of them stirred something dormant inside of Ravus.

“Are you happy with your present?” Ardyn spoke softly, twisting the errant lock of Ravus’s hair around his finger.

“What do you mean, ‘present’?” Ravus scoffed.

“Darling, surely you don’t think your file found its way to Dr. Leonis’ mailbox by accident?” Ardyn replied, his lips moving from Ravus’ mouth to his neck. A hot breath, followed by the faintest nip, made the taller man shiver.

“I was hoping it was because of my achievements, not because of something more… personal,” Ravus grumbled. Still, he couldn’t help but slip a hand under the wrinkled hem of Ardyn’s button-down shirt to tease at the bare skin there.

“Now, now, don’t be ungrateful,” Ardyn purred, though his tone was more patronizing than Ravus normally would have liked to allow. “I just thought I would do something nice for you, pet.”

Ravus sighed at the contact of Ardyn’s lips and teeth at the crook of his neck as they nudged the soft shawl collar of his cardigan aside to suck a possessive mark into his pale skin. Nails sunk into Ardyn’s skin as Ravus dragged them up his back and settled his weight against the desk, allowing the smaller man to sink his weight against him. Lips and tongues clashed in a teasing, heady kiss for a few moments before Ardyn pulled away.

“So sorry, but I have a meeting in a few minutes and I don’t think Dr. Aldercapt will appreciate my rather _enthusiastic_ appreciation of one of his graduate students,” Ardyn chuckled.

Ravus smiled at him and paused to brush crimson locks from his face. “I know."

“Stay at my place tonight. We can get Chinese from that little place you like, my treat… and then I can continue my fervent appreciation of your hard work,” Ardyn whispered against the shell of Ravus’s ear.

“I’d like that.”

“I know.”

Ravus twisted a finger around Ardyn’s tie and pulled him a little closer. He wanted one more kiss, just another before they had to slip into the careful facade they had built over the last semester. Ardyn was happy to oblige and sunk his teeth into Ravus’ lower lip in a promise of what was to come later.

As he left Ardyn’s office, he extracted his phone from his pocket and slid his thumb across the glassy surface. He cradled it to his face with his shoulder as he dug through his backpack with his free hand. It only rang once before he could hear the clamor of dogs barking and Crowe’s voice in the background.

“Did you meet him yet?” Ravus asked eagerly.

“Hello, brother. How are you? How did your meeting go?” Luna said cheerfully. “See, that’s how you start a conversation, Ravus.”

“I’ll tell you about the meeting later,” Ravus said, finally extracting the key to his bike lock from the catacombs of his pack. “Now tell me, did you meet him at the dog park like I told you to?”

“Yes, Ravus, though I don’t see the need for it, he’s perfectly nice.”

“You never know. Don’t trust people you don’t know.”

“ _He’s_ grumpy,” Ravus heard Crowe say in the background.

“Crowe, please…” Luna said with a sigh. “Ravus, he’s very polite. I’m sure you’ll approve.”

“When do I get to meet him?”

“You can come over later if you want. We’re going to need some help moving him in.”

Ravus groaned. “You said I could meet him before he moved in! I need to make sure-”

“Let me talk to him,” Crowe said in the background. There was a fumble and scraping sound before it settled into a brief silence. The brunette spoke with a firmness and assurance that tended to quiet him even when he’d rather have had his way. “Ray, he’s fine. I have a good feeling about him. Now give your poor sister a break. She’s a big girl, she can handle it.”

Ravus sighed. “Fine. Give the phone back to her, please.”

Another shuffle, another silence.

“So you’ll come over later and help?” Luna asked hopefully.

“I suppose,” Ravus grumbled. “I don’t see why you wouldn’t let _me_ move in.”

“Because, dear brother,” Luna giggled. “I wish to keep speaking of you with affection, not malice. What would dear Noctis do without you, anyway?”

“Continue living in filth without plaguing a roommate with his disgusting habits.”

Luna laughed. “I’ll see you later."

* * *

 

As predicted, Ignis had to retrace his steps, but only twice. The dog park cropped up amidst families pushing strollers and students with headphones and giant backpacks. A text popped through, right on time. _Hi! It's Luna! Over in the corner in the blue sweater._ A cheery smiley face punctuated the words, and Ignis peered around until he spotted a blonde woman in a cornflower blue sweater. Seeing him look around uncertainty, she stepped over, waving.

“Are you Ignis?” A bright, expectant smile accompanied the words.

He breathed a sigh of relief. “Yes. Lunafreya?” He put his hand out and she shook it.

“Luna, please. I hope you didn't have any trouble finding us.” She tilted her head at him.

At the word “us,” Ignis looked behind Luna at a brunette woman in a green military jacket, who followed behind slowly, one eye on the dogs running behind the raised wall.

He laughed a little sheepishly, looking down at his shoes for a brief moment. “To be honest, I'm not having an easy time finding anything in town yet, but it was no trouble.”

“Are you a new student? Crowe and I did undergrad here, so we’ve gotten to know the city pretty well.”

Oh, this is my girlfriend, Crowe.” The brunette stepped around from behind Luna and took Ignis’ hand in a firm grip.

“Nice to meet you.” She gave him an appraising but not unfriendly gaze.

“A pleasure. Do you also live - “ He looked toward Luna.

Crowe smiled. “No, but I’m there a lot.” She turned her attention to Luna. “Hey, Lu, I’m gonna go collect the monsters - I’ll be right back.”

Luna nodded. “It must be difficult to be looking for a new place so close to the start of the semester.” Her question was polite on the surface but he felt her assessing him, and it made him smile.

“I don’t know if you’re familiar with TU’s amazingly competent student housing department…” Luna burst out laughing, and Ignis continued. “But they assured me I had a place until literally yesterday. So I was thrilled to see your advertisement.”

Luna nodded, and filled in the answer to his own unasked question. “I’d planned to live by myself this semester, but then I made the rash decision to buy a car.” She grinned. “So help with rent just made a lot of sense. I was delighted to hear from someone at this late date, honestly.”

“Are you a graduate student as well?” Ignis asked as Crowe showed up with two bounding dogs on leashes, and he and Luna fell into step behind her.

“Yes, I’m working on my master’s in the mathematics department - Pryna, no!” Luna interrupted herself as one of the dogs, a white, well-groomed husky or shiba type of dog, had bounded back and placed wet paws on Ignis’ pants, greeting him with tongue lolling.

He smiled and reached out to scratch the dog behind the ears. The dog was sweet and friendly, and it was nothing a good dry clean wouldn’t fix.

“Not to be intrusive, but you sound like you’re from Tenebrae. Are you from another city?” Luna inquired, as she wrangled Pryna’s leash, admonishing her with a look and a finger.

“Originally. I’ve been in Lucis since I was six, but spent summers with my mother in the country in Pagla.”

“Oh, lovely! I love Pagla. It’s so quaint.”

Ignis laughed. “Yes, I do appreciate it now, but will admit I found it truly boring as a teenager. Have you always lived here, or…”

“Yes, this is hometown for me. And TU is in its seventh year of charging me exorbitant amounts of tuition, so I’m part of the landscape.” She gave a pretty, self-deprecating laugh, and Crowe looked at her affectionately before jumping in.

“I’m born and raised in Galahd, but I’ve been here long enough that it’s started to feel like home. Tenebraeans cannot cook meat or roast coffee beans though, you heard it here first.” Crowe was firm.

Ignis felt another wet nose prod at his hand as the larger black dog nosed in for a greeting. “These are a friendly duo, you know.” He ruffled fur idly as Crowe answered.

“Oh, Umbra is the biggest baby. Aren’t you, champ?” She scratched him under the chin.

“Do you think you’ll be here over the summer, Ignis? It’s always such a pain to find another roommate over the break.” Luna asked.

“Yes, absolutely. I’ve got a research project lined up that I won’t be taking time off from and I intend to teach as well.”

They chattered about the various academic projects and departments they were involved with and Luna explained the rent and utilities, which Ignis found to be somewhat steep for Tenebrae, but he supposed he was used to small town prices out here. Overall, he could afford it, and Luna seemed pleasant, as did her companions.

She seemed to have the same impression of him. “Well, I’m satisfied. Frankly, Pryna’s show of exuberance was quite enough for me to like you.” She laughed again, and Ignis grinned. Truth be told, he was more of a cat person, but sharing a living space with a well-behaved canine or two would be far from objectionable.

They shook on it. Ignis felt awkward asking. “Would you mind if I moved my things today? Given the debacle with student housing, I’ve had to cram them into a storage facility.”

“Of course! We’ll help! Won’t we, Crowe?”

“My price is a beer. Two beers.” She strolled back to join them.

“Oh, you don’t need to help. Really, I’m fine.” Ignis felt awkward enlisting help from people he’d just met.

“Really, I insist.” Luna gave him a stare that he envisioned both Pryna and Crowe to be similarly cowed by, and Ignis shrugged.

“It’s really not - well, I appreciate it. Will you be around later?”

“Yes, these little monsters have had their exercise. I’ll text you directions and the unit number.”

“Perfect.”

Crowe waved at him, and Umbra barked. Ignis was relieved. One more thing ticked off the list, and a cordial and friendly roommate gained. Now to deal with his things.

Ignis stared down at his phone, torn. It had been quite an afternoon. First, he'd had to clear up billing confusion, explaining repeatedly that he was brand new here and therefore his things could not possibly have been stored here for six months. Next, he'd had to call to clear up the fraud alert triggered on his credit card by “too many foreign transactions” - never mind that he'd _actually called them_ last month to notify the company he'd be moving here. And finally, the storage facility had parked a forklift smack in the middle of the hallway leading to the rental truck, forcing him to take a meandering path the long way through the hallways with each load of his boxes, since apparently no one was on site who could move the forklift a few feet.  

He'd been sweaty, grouchy, and exhausted by the time he'd gotten the van loaded. When he plopped down on the bench seat, running the directions over in his head again, he saw the stick shift on the floor and wilted. After dragging himself back inside to confirm that no, he could not in fact rent an automatic, he returned to the truck to think, leaning his forehead against crossed hands over the gigantic steering wheel.

It probably wouldn't even have occurred to him to ask anyone for help; in fact, he was already mentally formulating the right search terms to try to Moogle how to drive this thing without stripping all of its gears. But just then, his phone buzzed with a text. It was Luna.

_You ok? It's been a while and we were worried you got lost. I roped my brother in to help carry your things!_

He dithered with indecision for a moment before pressing Luna's contact to call her.

“Ignis! Is everything all right?”

He laughed awkwardly. “Oh, fine, I suppose. Do you happen to know anyone who can drive a manual transmission?”

A giggle came through the phone. “Oh no, that is a predicament. I'll bring Crowe by to rescue you. She can drive anything.”

Ignis let out a sigh of relief, thanked Luna profusely, and gave her the address.

An old white Volvo pulled up, and Ignis saw Crowe lean over to kiss Luna before hopping out of the car. They were sweet, and he wondered idly how long they'd been together as he got out to flag Crowe down and let her take the wheel.

As she slid in and closed the door, Crowe smirked at him. “No good at driving stick, huh?”

He sighed. “No, I never learned. I really appreciate the help. It's already been a very long day.”

She shifted through the gears, shaking her head and laughing at the clunky old truck. “Glad you asked though. You would absolutely have stalled this baby out - probably right in the middle of North Main where all the freshmen are getting moved in by their parents.”

She was right, and Ignis breathed another sigh at the nearly-missed humiliation. “Well, I certainly owe you - and Lunafreya - more than a couple of beers. Once I unpack my kitchen things, I'd love to cook you both a nice dinner.”

“You like to cook, huh?” Crowe gripped the gearshift in a strong hand, forcing the truck up into another gear.

He nodded. “One does have to eat, anyway, and it's quite contemplative sometimes. A little creative, as well.”

Crowe grinned. “That sounds great. Hey, Luna's right here in this building.” She pointed, before looking back over her shoulder to smoothly parallel park the giant truck.

* * *

 

Ravus hardly knocked on the door before it barely opened, revealing a very flushed Luna whose arms were laden with clothing. He smiled a terse smile before squeezing in the sliver of space between the door and its jamb; once inside, he could see that the tiny living room was filled with boxes.

“Wow,” was all he could say.

“I know, we rented a truck to get it all here in one trip,” Luna said with a weary smile. “There are still some boxes in the truck.”

“Alright,” Ravus says, looking around the room at the mess of boxes before his eyes settled on the clothes in Luna’s arms. They were all neatly pressed and still hanging off their hangers. He could see that the shirt on top of the stack had every button buttoned and that both cuffs were meticulously pressed and folded. Whoever owned these clothes had an eye for detail.

“Luna, have you seen my shirts?” A masculine voice with a familiar accent called from the spare room- _his_ room, Ravus thought bitterly.

“I have them here, Ignis!” Luna called. “Ravus, will you go with Crowe to get the last few boxes?”

“Luna-”

“Please,” she said, smiling at him, her blue eyes twinkling. It was a smile he couldn’t say no to. That, of course, was tried and true after years of trying to persist his little sister’s charms and failing. As much as he hated it at times, she truly owned his heart.

“Fine,” he spat, though he would have been lying if there wasn’t a kiss of a grin teasing at the corner of his mouth.

“Thank you,” she said sweetly.

“What happened to your pants?” Crowe asked, stifling a giggle as she admired the stain that had splattered across his front.

Ravus looked down at the coffee stain that adorned his lap and the bottom of his favorite white t-shirt before groaning. “A mishap with an idiot.”

“Right, cuz you never do anything wrong. Couldn’t possibly be _your_ fault,” Crowe teased as they walked out the front door and around the corner. A monster of a truck was tightly tucked into the last available spot on the street, and Crowe cocked an eyebrow at him proudly.

“I _don’t_ , thank you for your astute observation,” Ravus retorted.

“Ass,” Crowe sniped.

Ravus rolled his eyes. “I get to be rude. You’re sleeping with my sister.”

“Rude or not, who’s the real winner here?” Crowe teased as she slid the back of the truck open and the door collided with the roof in a loud clang.

“I refuse to answer that.”

“Smart boy.”

Ravus narrowed his eyes at her before whacking her with the corner of his box.

“I can hear you two out there! You’d better not be fooling around with things that don’t belong to you,” Luna called through the opening in the door.

“Ears like a bat,” Crowe muttered with a grin.

The box Ravus had chosen to carry was particularly heavy. Across the top, in incredibly neat handwriting to match the neatly pressed shirt, was scrawled ‘honors thesis work.’ Ravus smirked; he had a box of similar size at home, filled with old research, books, notes, and a neatly folded project poster. Just the sight of the box often engorged his heart with pride. He felt a little guilty for disturbing its contents in his efforts to harass Crowe.

Pryna raced out the door as Luna opened it for them. “Oh, damn. Pryna!” Luna pushed out the door past Ravus to go fetch the snow-white beast, who was bouncing around happily in the fallen leaves that covered the grassy courtyard.

Ravus laughed as he pushed the door shut with his hip. There were still boxes scattered about. Sure, there wasn’t much room to fill with them in the small apartment, but it was still impressive that there were so many for just one person. Upon further inspection, Ravus realized that many of them were just marked ‘kitchen things.’ Lucky Luna to get a roommate who presumably knew how to cook.

Noctis, safe to say, had the cooking skills of a blind garula. Ravus was a little jealous of his sister.

“I’m going to go help Luna,” Crowe said, setting her box down haphazardly atop another before rushing out the door. Ravus moved it with his booted foot- it looked like it was going to topple over but that was so Crowe to prioritize Luna over all else- and carried his box toward the extra bedroom.

“I have… what looks like your undergraduate thesis,” Ravus called into the open space, unsure of how to greet this person who had suddenly taken up space in Luna’s apartment. He very well could be taking up space in Ravus’ life, too; he spent more time here than he did at his own apartment.

“Thank you,” the man called from the bedroom. “If you could bring it in here and put it in the closet, that would be most appreciated.”

“Your thesis is heavy, almost as heavy as mine,” Ravus jested, though he couldn’t deny there was some competitiveness laced in there. Luna’s new roommate was hunched over the desk in the corner, scrawling in his checkbook. Ravus went ahead and ducked into the small closet in order to tuck the box safely away on the top shelf.

“Yes, well, I would say I was rather sentimental about the whole thing. I even saved the lab reports from the carbon-dating facility I sent my samples to,” he chuckled.

“And I thought I was silly for saving photocopies of ancient textbooks,” Ravus joked.

“It’s hard not to care for something you’ve invested so much heart and soul into.”

“I agree.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t think I caught your name,” the man says, turning around to face Ravus as he wiped his hands on his slacks. “My name is Ignis.”

“Ravus,” he said, extending his hand and looking up into the man’s jade eyes.

Oh.

_Oh._

“It’s you,” Ignis says disbelievingly. His brilliant eyes dropped from Ravus’ gaze to his front, where the coffee stain had stayed, if not worsened since his attempts to clean it. Ravus was, for once, at a loss for words. He almost couldn’t believe it; it was like some sick twist of fate had made _this_ idiot his sister’s roommate, who he was going to have to spend an inordinate amount of time with or settle with spending more time at his apartment, which he was loath to do.

What also seemed unbelievable was the way his plush lips fell parted in surprise, or the way his slender eyebrows knitted together in disdain. How someone could look so pretty while so unhappy was more than a little distracting. Ravus bit his own lip as he frowned at the man; Ignis was obviously just as displeased to see Ravus as Ravus was to see him.

“Of course, of _course_ I would have to deal with someone whose insufferable ignorance has stained my favorite jeans,” Ravus hissed.

“Insufferable ignorance?” Ignis scoffed. “If I’m insufferably ignorant, then you are insufferably _arrogant._ ”

Ravus could feel his blood boiling at the comment. Proud, yes. A little vain at times, sure. Arrogant was not a word he would use to describe himself; in fact, he thought that Ignis’s use of the term was perhaps a little arrogant in itself. “Me? Arrogant? You don’t even _know me,_ you idiot.”

“I will not be harassed in my own apartment by a complete stranger!” Ignis said, thrusting a finger into Ravus’ sternum, who pushed it away.

“Look in the mirror if you’re looking for a complete stranger here,” Ravus retorted, his voice rich with vitriol.

“Boys!” Luna said, her voice far louder than her usual soft tone. “Please!”

“Who is this man?” Ignis said, exasperated.

“I’m her brother!”

“Dear gods, I have to deal with you more than just this once?”

“Don’t forget sloshing coffee all over my front, I’ve had the misfortune of dealing with your idiotic ass twice now-”

“ _BOYS!_ ” Luna yelled as she tossed the pillow she was holding to the floor.

“Oh, shit,” Crowe muttered, slipping through the doorway. Ravus could hear Luna’s bedroom door close behind her.

Luna pushed the two of them apart; it wasn’t until he felt the absence of Ignis’s warmth against his chest that he realized he was nearly abreast with the smaller man in their heated argument.

Though he was shorter, Ignis could hold his own, and it wasn’t until now that Ravus realized he had a good eight inches on him.

“ _What_ is the matter here?” she says, her voice back to its comforting, soft, tone, yet it was a little strained.

Ravus and Ignis paused to look at each other for a brief moment. What was it that started this again? Ignis’s eyes fell to Ravus’ middle again, reminding him what had started this all.

“He was the one who did this to me!” Ravus hissed, gesturing at the stain that was spread across his middle, getting both his shirt and his pants. Thankfully, his handknit cardigan, made by Luna herself, had survived unscathed.

“So you’re upset because Ignis spilled coffee on you? Was that just now?” Luna asked, inspecting the stain. “I can get it out of your pants, but I’m afraid your shirt is a little worse for wear.”

“I accidentally bumped into him at the coffee shop this morning. I apologized and tried to help him clean it up, but he insisted he was running late and stood there staring at me instead.” Ignis said, a smirk teasing at the corner of his mouth.

Ravus hated it.

“Ravus. Don’t you think it’s a little silly to still be upset by that?” Luna said with a sigh.

“Luna,” Ravus growled, allowing his tone to say the rest. He was making her look like a fool, and Ignis wasn’t someone he wanted to look foolish in front of; then again, he didn’t like to be made a fool in front of anyone.

Luna pulled him aside and stepped out into the hallway. “Please, please don’t make this difficult. He’s really nice and he already has this and next month’s rent ready…”

Ravus frowned at her before tearing his wrist from her grip. “I need to go. Ardyn and I have plans,” he said, snatching his keys from the table.

“Ravus…”

He waved halfheartedly over his shoulder as he left her apartment- their apartment- and stormed to the bike rack. His heart was still pounding in his chest and he could feel its every beat as he stood by his bike, shaking his hands and taking a deep breath. He was rattled, to say the very least.

He’d never had such an explosive first encounter with another person, never escalated to yelling within the first few moments of meeting. Ravus had certainly never been made an ass of by someone else so quickly before, either. Ignis’s wit was infuriating. He’d played his sister right into believing it was _his_ fault the whole thing had escalated; nevermind whether or not it actually had been.

The fight replayed in his mind over and over. There had been a lot of disdain, sure, that much was a fact. But there was a passion there, too, on both sides. The hurt in those emerald eyes seemed to stick in his brain like a fly to flypaper, struggling and buzzing and making him even more irritated.

 _Whatever_ , he thought. They were bound not to get along, anyway.

* * *

 

Ignis watched Ravus storm out with a curious mixture of irritation and regret. He swiped a hand across his forehead tiredly and strode into the kitchen to sort his cooking supplies.

He saw Luna staring at him and felt guilty for having such a contentious encounter with her brother, when he wasn’t even fully moved in yet. As he stepped past her to the kitchen, he dipped his head, and murmured, “Vinegar. And dishwashing liquid.”

Luna blinked. “For - what are you talking about?”

“For the stain. But you didn’t hear it from me.”

Luna smiled and shook her head as Ignis carried a box into the kitchen.


	2. Intrusive and Arrogant

The apartment really was lovely. Big, open windows framed the wall looking out onto the courtyard on one side of the living room, filling the space with sunlight and sunset views in the evening. A tiny kitchen made up the other wall; Ignis thought to himself that it could barely be called a kitchen at its meager size, but he couldn’t complain. It was better than having no kitchen at all.  The living space itself was filled with a plush, oversized, beaten-up couch that had obviously seen better days but was ridiculously comfortable.

There was only one problem with the place. It was tiny. Though decorated minimally, as most places were by students who could barely afford Cup Noodle, let alone an end table, it still didn’t have much room. In fact, it had exactly enough floor space in front of the couch for a yoga mat- most of one, at least. Try as he might, there was no available space for Ignis to spread out- unless he wanted to try acro-yoga on the couch, that is.

Luna slipped through her bedroom door as Ignis was rolling up his yoga mat and whispering quiet curses to whoever made decisions on Tenebraean apartment standards. “Did you manage to do yoga in here? I can never fit my mat on the floor.”

Ignis’ lips twitched in a smirk. “Yes, well, I appeared to have the same issue.”

A sweet smile crossed Luna’s lips. “Crowe and I were just going to take the dogs to the park. There’s a lovely little space there where I do my morning practice. You’re more than welcome to join.”

“Ah, I don’t wish to disturb your time together,” Ignis said quickly, as much as he wanted to tag along. After a few days without his yoga he was starting to feel that soreness in his lower back begin to creep like a predator waiting in the shadows.

“Don’t be silly, Ignis. Crowe needs her time with the dogs to wake up. I practice alone most of the time.”

Ignis sighed. He couldn’t contain the smile that creeped across his lips. “Alright.”

“Wonderful. Morning, little bird,” Luna said softly to Crowe, who dragged herself out of the bedroom looking a little bedraggled. Without a word, the brunette snaked her arms around Luna’s neck and buried her face in the blonde’s neck. Luna seemed accustomed to the behavior; in fact, she seemed to enjoy it as she returned the hug.

“We going soon?” Crowe asked sleepily.

“Yes, and Ignis was hoping to join us, if that’s alright,” Luna murmured, smiling at Ignis before pressing a kiss to Crowe’s temple.

“Ugh, morning people, I don’t get you guys,” Crowe groaned into the crook of Luna’s neck. She stroked Crowe’s back gently, leaning against the counter to hold her girlfriend in her arms. They looked so peaceful and happy, merely standing there, basking in each other’s embrace. Ignis couldn’t help but wonder what that might be like, waking up next to someone he loved. Sure, he’d woken up in arms before, but none that made his heart quiver the way he was sure his roommates’ did.

Ignis remembered he wasn’t privy to their private moments and found an interesting spot on the floor with which to preoccupy himself.

“Lemme get dressed,” Crowe mumbled, before pressing a kiss to Luna’s pale cheek.

“I best get ready as well.”

“Don’t forget a sweater,” Luna said kindly, as she fished some travel mugs out of the cabinet. “The park’s on the river and it gets chilly in the morning.”

“Thank you,” Ignis said with a grateful smile. The past few days had been rough; where Lucis was hot, dry, and arid, Tenebrae was a wet, forested land where Ignis never quite felt dry and was almost always cold.

“I know coming here was probably a climate shock,” she said with a giggle.

“Quite,” Ignis said with a smirk before waving over his shoulder and closing the door behind him. It only took him a moment to dress in a loose shirt, hoodie, and yoga pants, and to gather a towel and water bottle before leaving his room. Crowe was curled up on the couch with her hood pulled over her head. Umbra and Pryna sat atop her, Umbra lying in the curve of her hip, and Pryna in the bend of her knees. He was almost sad to disturb them; they looked so cozy.

“Let’s go!” Luna called. Umbra and Pryna bolted off the couch and out the open door to wait on the balcony. Crowe followed behind with a grumble and a to-go cup of coffee. The odd group walked in near silence to the nearby park. Luna and Crowe walked hand-in-hand as the dogs trotted ahead happily on their leashes.

“How long have you two been together?” Ignis asked as the park came into view and Umbra tugged eagerly at his leash.

Luna looked at Crowe, who shrugged sleepily. “I think three years now. We actually met at this park,” Luna giggled.

“Is there a story?” Ignis asked with a grin.

“Crowe, you tell it, you do it so much better than I,” Luna crooned, resting her head against Crowe’s shoulder as they walked. Crowe laughed her usual, breathy laugh and sipped her coffee.

“Alright. So I’m standing at the entrance to the park. Just got done with my morning run with ROTC, sweating my ass off. We did like five miles and I was so hungover,” Crowe laughed. “Anyway, I was just getting ready to go home when this big, black dog goes sprinting past me toward the open road. And then this pretty little blonde thing goes running after him.”

Crowe elbowed Luna gently, whose pale cheeks were rouged with a blush. “I don’t even think about it. I go sprinting after that silly mutt like my life depended on it. Next thing you know, I'm playing Frogger with that crazy dog through traffic. I caught him and carried him back.”

“She plopped him in my arms and when I offered to buy her a coffee in exchange for her noble services, she offered to buy me dinner instead,” Luna laughed, curling a hand to her chest as her laughter rang through the open space of the park, clear as a bell.

Crowe took her in her arms, pressing a kiss to her pink lips as both their mouths twisted in a smile. Luna whined, “Crowe, baby, not in front of Ignis,” though she never wriggled away, never tried to escape, only let clear, beautiful laughter slip from her lips as Crowe kissed her cheek and neck.

Ignis merely looked at them out the corner of his eye as he gathered Umbra and Pryna’s leashes in his free hand. Their unabashed affection was something Ignis both admired and envied; to be so lost in someone else, so wholly loved, was like  marbles in a jar. Even if he tried to reach inside, take some for himself, the shape of his fist enclosed around them would never let him truly take it for himself.

His heart both sank and soared, in happiness for his new friends and in forlorn loneliness that seemed to squeeze his heart just a little too tightly.

* * *

Ravus turned over, dragging an arm across his face. Late morning sun burned at his unwilling eyelids and he roused slowly. Ardyn was already awake, sheets and blankets pooled around his waist as he frowned and tapped at his phone. Ravus curled around him, still half asleep, and felt a hand absently ruffle his hair.

“Sleep well?” Ardyn’s tone was absent-minded but affectionate.

Ravus chuckled a little. “Well, yes, eventually.” That earned him an amused murmur in response. Once they’d finally collapsed into the sheets, sweaty and exhausted, Ravus had fallen into a dreamless sleep that had seemed to pass instantaneously.

He reached out a hand to smooth through the russet curls shot with gray that dusted Ardyn’s chest, and his gaze flicked up to meet topaz hues. Their lovemaking the previous night had been rough and passionate, and the thought of it had him eager for a second round.

As his hand crept lower, though, Ardyn stopped him with a touch to his wrist and a regretful glance. “Ah, so sorry darling, but I’ve got to get moving shortly. Faculty luncheon later today.”

Ravus faltered and slid his hand back, looking questioningly at Ardyn. Ardyn shook his head slightly in response to Ravus’ unasked query, deep red curls tumbling.

“Sorry, pet, you know _I’d_ love to have you, but the others - “ he sighed. “Well, they’d hardly find all this appropriate, would they?” He gestured to the two of them tangled, naked, in his expensive sheets.

Ravus felt his eyes narrow at the vague condescension in his voice, but he knew Ardyn was right. He sat up, thinking. He’d been hoping, since he was no longer an undergraduate, that at some point they could stop being so secretive. He wasn’t Ardyn’s student anymore - not directly. And even if he was, weren’t graduate students different? They were both adults, after all.

While he pondered, Ardyn carded a hand into Ravus’ hair, pressing lips against his collarbone where he’d left a particularly vicious bruise the previous evening. Ravus hissed, but smiled, tipping his head and letting pale strands fall onto crimson ones.

After a soft, warm touch of lips, Ardyn withdrew from the bed in one swift motion. Ravus took the hint and stood up with a stretch that turned into a laugh as he saw Ardyn’s ogling gaze. He shrugged into last night’s clothes, enjoying the faint soreness here and there as he bent and stretched.

“Well, I hope it all goes well. I’m sure it will.” He was businesslike as he finished tying his boots and slung his bag over one shoulder.

“I’m having it catered - you know I can’t cook. And the cleaning fellow will be here in - oh, half an hour.” Ardyn cast around for a towel, grabbing it and heading directly toward the shower.

Ravus’ boots thumped down the stairs slightly louder than he intended to. Immature pouting was not the image he wished to convey, but he felt ruffled and hurried. He would have appreciated at least a cup of coffee before rushing out.

Slinging one leg over his bike, Ravus thought about grabbing a cup to go at Selena’s, but he was unshowered and had some tasks to take care of this weekend - better not. He’d take the inferior grocery store beans at home in the interest of setting things in order, he pondered, as his legs circled rhythmically.

He swooped around a corner and down a slight incline toward his apartment. Riding always seemed to soothe him, and today was no exception. The scent of leaves on the wind and the cooler air were invigorating, and as he rolled his front wheel into the bike rack, Ravus inhaled. He was likely being petulant over nothing. Setting himself up for the start of another school year, as well as his weekly tradition with Luna, would make for a pleasant weekend. He felt oddly buoyant, walking up the stairs to his apartment and anticipating what was to come.

The apartment was quiet when he arrived and as he unlaced his boots he heard a slight creak from Noctis’ bedroom. It was near eleven, but this was by no means unusual. He often slept until well after noon, and Ravus was pleased to have some time to settle in while he enjoyed some coffee and a late breakfast undisturbed. He left his boots and helmet in their places by the door, frowned at Noctis’ piled shoes, and headed for the kitchen.

The scene that awaited Ravus in the kitchen was horrific. Clearly, Noctis had engaged in some sort of drunken feast the night before, and every counter was covered with dirty pans, plates, and cups - not to mention the food he’d spilled and not bothered to wipe up. Ravus didn’t dare look inside the microwave.

Ugh, there was just so _much_ of it. How had Noctis even managed to make this big of a mess by himself? Ravus’ train of thought was interrupted by a thump from Noctis’ room, and he scowled. Maybe the little shit was finally getting up, and Ravus could give him a good talking to about cleanliness, and consideration. And ants. The thump sounded again, and Ravus almost shouted at his roommate, but the thumps became… rhythmic.

Ravus buried his head in his hand. _Perfect_. Apparently Noctis _hadn’t_ been alone last night, which would at least explain the extent of the mess. A loud groan drifted into Ravus’ ears over the thumping, and he exhaled in irritation. As he flung the refrigerator door closed, the thumping intensified, as did the moaning.

 _You’ve got to be fucking kidding me_ , Ravus thought as he stalked back toward the front door and dug headphones out of his bag. Unfortunately, he could still hear the squealing of Noctis’ bedsprings over his music at maximum volume. Ravus attempted to make a pot of coffee while pretending there was nothing going on - it was impossible. He shuddered - were those slapping sounds? _Ugh_.

Ravus punched the button on the front of the coffee pot, now trying without success to ignore the noise _and_ the mess.  He thought through everything he had left to do today and tomorrow, ticking down a mental list of -

“Fuck, Noct. Shit!”

Ravus exhaled in exasperation again as his thoughts were interrupted by a shout that had obviously come from Nyx. The thumping sped up.

“Oh, goddamnit yes! Right there, Noct! Harder!”

Ravus observed drily that Noctis was apparently more energetic in the bedroom than he was - well, in any other area of his life, really. Giving up on coffee for the moment, Ravus stalked to the shower, hoping to drown out the cacophony filling the apartment.

Either the background noise was mildly successful, or they finished, because Ravus was able to have a relatively peaceful, uninterrupted shower. As the water ran down over his skin, Ravus eyeballed his half-hard dick with irritation. Yes, there were people having sex on the other side of the wall, but they were _annoying_ people, and not something he should be getting excited about.

Ravus got dressed, throwing a soft navy flannel shirt over jeans and a t-shirt and made his way back to the kitchen, eagerly anticipating finally enjoying a cup of coffee. It was nearing noon and he was severely lacking both caffeine and food.

He froze in the doorway, though, as he was greeted by the sight of an open refrigerator. Holding the door open was Nyx, naked as the day he was born.

Ravus didn’t know where to look and cleared his throat loudly. He was half-tempted to just leave the apartment for the entire day, but damn it, he wanted that coffee.

Nyx looked up, startled, and broke into a laugh. “Sorry, man, didn’t know you were home.”

“Obviously.” Ravus’ tone was equal parts steely and resigned. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen this man’s naked ass many times, unfortunately. “Who the hell did you think made the coffee?”

Nyx shrugged. “Mine’s on a timer at home.” He poured himself a cup and held it for a moment, letting the steam bathe his face, before taking a tentative sip. “Eh, not terrible.” He looked at the cup, evaluating and thoughtful.

“Would you mind savoring that in another room, or with pants on?” Ravus really couldn’t believe he had to make this request, but apparently he did. He turned to open a cupboard and reach up to one of the highest shelves - the ones Noctis couldn’t reach easily - where he kept his clean pans. There might be enough space to make a quick breakfast if he shoved some things to the side.

Nyx peered at him, cracked a grin, and let out a low laugh. “You’re pretty crabby for someone who also seems like he had a good time last night.”

Ravus frowned as he realized his shirt had shifted when he stretched, revealing the violent bruising decorating his collarbone. He just rolled his eyes, not bothering to answer, and Nyx strolled casually back to Noctis’ bedroom.

“Lighten up, Ravus.”

Ravus turned, mouth half open to yell about the mess, and stopped. His shoulders slumped, and he gave up. Rummaging for a thermos, he poured the rest of the coffee pot into it and decided to just leave. He needed to go buy food anyway. Especially since Noctis (and Nyx, and gods knew who else) had consumed the last of what was edible in their refrigerator last night.

Thinking dark thoughts about how sad it was when a man couldn’t find peace in his own home, Ravus rode to the farmers’ market in the center of town.

* * *

The market was flourishing with life that Saturday afternoon. Though there was a slight drizzle falling from the never-ending clouds that always seemed to haunt the skies of Tenebrae, people mixed, mingled, and _lived_ as if the moisture itself was fueling them. Ignis was sure that eventually, after some time here, he would acclimate and feel the same way about the punishingly cold, misty rain. There _was_ something energizing about it, he thought, as he thrust himself into the throngs of people that circulated through the open-air market.

For now, though, he simply tucked his chin into the warm caress of his scarf and buttoned another button on the blue denim jacket he’d worn that day.

He’d spent the morning sipping coffee and probing his favorite cookbooks. Nothing from Lucis seemed to suit the cold climate of Tenebrae; not only to mention that as he looked at market stalls, he couldn’t seem to find the peppers he so adored from his home country. The local fare of Tenebrae seemed to include lots of meat and a variety of delicately crafted flours and other starches. Leafy green vegetables stole the show at every single vegetable stand.

It seemed that not only was the weather odd, but the food was, too. At the same time, Ignis relished the challenge of cooking something with new ingredients. He’d grown so comfortable with Lucian cuisine that it all seemed second-nature; the curries and soups he often made at home would have to stay there.

“Time for something new,” Ignis muttered happily under his breath, before ordering a large, enticing-looking garula fillet.

The rest of the recipe seemed to blossom in his mind as he perused the market, taking in the fare, the smells, of raw ingredients here and there. The new flavors were enticing, sparking little bombs in his brain that screamed to be combined. His tote bag quickly filled with not only ingredients for tonight’s dinner, but soft sylleblossom tea and Galahdian coffees that smelled a lot like what he had tried at Selena’s.

Ignis couldn’t help but smile. There was a lot here to enjoy already. Though his move had been rough and the new living situation more complicated than he wished it would be, what with Luna’s rather bitter brother, he found comfort in food. Cooking was something like second nature to him and he looked forward to the slip of the mind and the warm embrace of fluid action that would come later.

Luna and Crowe were cuddled up on the couch when Ignis returned from the market. The sun settled low in the sky painted a picturesque sunset of golden and pink hues that shone from behind the cloud cover in golden rays as the day’s rain drifted southerly. The delicate light tangled in Luna’s hair, casting it in a golden glow and bringing visions of kintsugi to Ignis’ mind. Crowe napped with her head in her lap as Luna perused a thick textbook on the arm of the sofa. The dogs curled around Crowe’s bare legs. Now Ignis knew why they’d bought such a big couch; it all made sense, seeing them enjoy it.

Luna looked up at him and smiled. “I see you found the market alright,” she said.

“I’ve purchased some things for dinner, if you don’t have plans,” Ignis whispered.

Luna shook her head. “Crowe’s been talking about your cooking all day. I think she knew you were going to offer to make dinner tonight.”

“Indeed,” Ignis grinned, crossing the small living space to the kitchen. He spread out his ingredients on the tiny counter:  garula fillet, delicately prepared prosciutto, a local bakery’s puff pastry dough (though Ignis preferred to make his own, there simply was not enough room in the apartment to do so), a plethora of vegetables, and two bottles of red wine. One was for cooking, but Ignis would have been lying to himself if he said he hadn’t purchased the second bottle for drinking.

“Can I help?” Crowe asked as she shuffled in, the large ROTC shirt she was wearing billowing over her bare calves as she rubbed her eyes.

Ignis smiled warmly at her. “Do you know how to dice?”

Crowe nodded. “I’m pretty good with a knife.”

“Wonderful. Can you start by dicing the shallots and mushrooms?”

“You got it.”

The two of them fell into a wonderful rhythm together in the kitchen. Crowe was excellent at following directions and wasn’t lying when she said she was good with a knife. Though Ignis’ knife skills were reputable, it was nice to have company in the kitchen and Crowe was skilled.

At some point, Luna had turned on some music, poppy and lighthearted. Ignis couldn’t help but sway his hips to the rhythm as he wrapped the meat up in the puff pastry and gently massaged the creases in the dough until they disappeared. As he prepared the egg wash, Crowe popped over his shoulder.

“Aren’tcha gonna decorate it?” she asked.

“I thought the pastry was beautiful enough in its own right,” he said plainly.

“Nah, you gotta get some knife work in there, something this tasty-smelling has gotta be equally tasty-looking. Can I?”

“By all means.”

Ignis stepped to the side, allowing Crowe more room to work. He watched intently over her shoulder as she examined the neat little package of puff pastry and garula. Sinking the tip of her knife into the pastry, she cut little V’s into the entirety its surface.

“Interesting,” Ignis murmured. Crowe smiled at him over her shoulder. “With that pattern, the tips will rise, giving it a rather…”

“Feathery look,” Crowe finished. “I know. It always looks so cool. It’s my favorite.”

“I look forward to the finished product,” Ignis replied. “Will you apply the egg wash while I start the sauce?”

They finished preparing the rest of the meal in relative silence, save for Crowe’s soft singing to the music and the occasional laugh when they bumped into each other in the cramped space. Working back to back, the two made the finishing touches before popping the puff-pastry covered meat in the oven and leaving the wine-based sauce to simmer on the stove. The apartment was already filled with wonderful smells that filled Ignis with a sense of satisfaction.

“We do good work,” Crowe said, bumping Ignis lightly in the shoulder with her fist.

“We do, I must say, I’m surprised,” Ignis replied. “I didn’t expect…”

“Help?” Crowe said. “Listen, if I’m gonna eat, I’m gonna help. That’s just how I do.”

“Got it,” Ignis said with a smile.

Crowe divided the remainder of the bottle of wine into three glasses and handed Ignis one. “Cheers,” she said.

“To what?” Ignis said, raising his glass.

“Friends that know how to make a Wellington.”

“And to good knifework,” Ignis said with a grin, as the clink of glasses rang in his ears like a promise. 

* * *

The mixer Luna had talked about wasn’t on campus like Ignis had thought. Rather, the event was held in a little bar just south of campus. From the outside, it looked like an unsuspecting building; the exterior was painted black, and the few windows it did have had bars on the outside. It stood out from the pale brick that graced most of Tenebrae University’s campus.

Once inside, though, it was like stepping into the heart of a beast. The establishment was pounding with bass and pure energy. People flowed through the front room effortlessly like blood pumping through the chambers, while others stayed packed into corners or surrounded the bar. He could see a few other rooms through the doorless archways on the other end of the room. Appropriately, the walls were painted crimson red.

“Luna… what is this place?” Ignis asked with trepidation as he adjusted his jacket.

“Starscourge. You still haven’t been, have you?” Luna said with a giggle. “This is where most of the graduate students like to hang out on the weekends.”

“I can see that,” Ignis said, eyes following random members of the crowd. By now, he had a sense for the nervous energy that came with undergraduate students. In Lucis, they _lived_ for the weekend and crammed into most of the bars every Saturday night. This crowd was much more relaxed, for which Ignis was grateful.

“We’re here for the TU mixer,” Luna called to the bartender, who pointed to one of the back rooms that was roped off. Luna smiled and gave him a little wave before taking Ignis by the elbow and joining into the flow of people moving through the club.

“Do you come here a lot?” Ignis yelled over the thumping bass.

“Not really, but it is fun every once in awhile. Crowe and I prefer to stay home,” Luna replied.

Ignis laughed. “Can’t imagine why!” he yelled. The natural push and pull of the bodies around them made him more than a little nervous; Ignis almost always preferred a quiet cafe to a busy club. Then again, this was a new year, a new school… new everything. Maybe it was time to warm up a bit to new ideas and experiences. It couldn’t hurt, at least.

Still, he was grateful when they found themselves in the room reserved for the STEM student mixer. This group of individuals was far more subdued than the people in the other room. The atmosphere itself was calmer, too. Instead of tall bar chairs and tiny tables, there were leather armchairs in rich hues of brown, as well as a bar. An illuminated full-length mirror lined the back that lit up the glass bottles in front light glittering light bulbs.

“Oh,” Ignis said in a hushed tone.

Luna laughed. “I know, right? I rather like this room. It’s too bad they only save it for private parties.”

“Indeed,” Ignis said. Luna still had a gentle grip on his elbow as they crossed the room to the bar, where a young, energetic blond man bopped his head to the synth’s bass as he polished beer glasses. As they approached, he set down the glass and leaned on the bar in a cavalier fashion.

“Heyyyyy, welcome to the…. Mixer! Thing!” he said, grinning at the silver-haired woman at the end of the bar, who rolled her eyes as she sipped her drink. Scarlet lips curled into a smile around the straw, and matching nails glittered in the twinkling bar lights.

“You’re lucky you’re cute,” she said with a smirk.

He scoffed, teasingly, and covered his chest. “Can you believe she thinks I’m cute?” he said to Luna with a wink, who chuckled.

“Do your fuckin’ job, babe, before you get fired,” the woman quipped.

“Alright, alright. What can I getcha?” the blond man said, violet eyes twinkling with mischief.

“A whiskey sour?” Ignis asked, sliding his credit card across the counter.

“And for the lady?” he said.

“Don’t judge me,” she said, giving a pointed look to Ignis. “A cosmopolitan.”

“ _Really_?” Ignis asked, raising his eyebrows with a sly smile.

She whacked his arm playfully with the glittering silver clutch she’d had tucked under her arm. “You’re insufferable.”

“No, your brother is,” he retorted.

Luna smiled at him, her eyes narrowing. “You’ll see. He can be rather _warm_ sometimes. Charming, even.”

Ignis shuddered and Luna laughed. The dazzling blond behind the bar handed them their drinks with a smile before heading down to the end of the bar to flirt with who Ignis presumed was his girlfriend.

“Oh! Noctis!” Luna called as she waved to a pale, raven-haired man standing in the corner. He looked rather sullen as he sipped a neon-green drink and stared off into space. His oversized, black sweater and skin-tight, ripped jeans only enhanced the slenderness of his frame.

The man approached and his features lit up behind the curtain of midnight locks that he hid behind, dazzling blue eyes glittering at Luna as she kissed his cheek hello. “Hi Luna.”

“Ignis, Ignis, this is my friend Noctis. We’ve known each other since we were little,” Luna said, gesturing to Noctis. “And Noctis, this is Ignis. He’s my new roommate. He’s just started at TU, he’s a transfer student.”

Noctis shook Ignis’ hand with a surprisingly firm grip. “From where?”

“Lucis. Lucis University, to be precise.” Ignis answered, meeting Noctis’ handshake with equal vigor.

“Oh, I’m from Lucis, Insomnia, actually. Grew up there. Moved when I was eight.” Noctis said with an eager smile. “You don’t sound like you’re from Insomnia.”

“And you don’t sound like you’re from Tenebrae,” Ignis chuckled. Noctis grinned and laughed back.

“Oh, good. Noctis, you finally have another friend!” Luna teased, to which Noctis blushed furiously.

“I have another friend!”

“Your boyfriend doesn’t count, Noct!”

The two continued bickering as Ignis rolled his eyes, chuckled, and walked back to the bar. The age of their friendship was apparent in the way they talked to another; it was interesting to see Luna interact with someone who wasn’t Crowe. Ignis supposed she just radiated kindness all the time, and it was reassuring to know that she was his roommate.

Ignis lingered beside the bar, waiting for the bartender to finish with some other students.

“You’re new,” a rich, tenor voice said from behind him.

Ignis turned around to find a much older man standing there, looking at him with a smile. His red hair, speckled grey at the temples, was tied into a half-pony, leaving the lower half to flow and curl over his shoulders and contrast beautifully with the crisp, white shirt he wore. Tawny eyes sparkled at him with interest as the man surveyed Ignis’ face; were he not Ignis’ senior by what he thought was more than a decade, he would probably have been taken with him.

“Ignis Scientia,” Ignis said, reaching for a handshake.

The redhead grasped his hand firmly, so firmly Ignis nearly winced at the strong contact. “Ardyn Izunia,” he said, his grip softening, but lingering.

“What’s your affiliation with the club, Ardyn? PhD student?” Ignis said, trying to make casual conversation as he dropped the man’s hand.

“Aren’t you a _flatterer,_ Mr. Scientia,” Arydn purred. “I’m merely the professor that’s backing the STEM club.”

Ignis tried to mask his confusion behind a polite smile. What was a professor doing at a student function, at a bar, no less? It seemed nothing but inappropriate. What was even more inappropriate, perhaps, was how Ardyn leaned over Ignis while resting his palm on the bartop behind him.

“What’s your program?” Ardyn asked.

Ignis merely stared at him.

“Come now, where’s the charming, friendly Ignis I just met?” Ardyn said, his lips falling into a plush pout as he inched closer. “I rather liked him. He was fun.”

“Oh, _Ignis,_ there you are!” Luna said loudly as she approached with Noctis at her side, who was shooting Ardyn a not-so-subtle skeptical look that told Ignis more than he needed to know about his new… friend.

Arydn looked over his shoulder at the pair and Ignis could see the irritation in his golden eyes. “Luna. Noctis.”

“I see you’ve had the pleasure of meeting my _roommate_ , Ardyn,” Luna said, all kindness wiped from her face like a slate, as she looked at him with ice-blue eyes that could freeze his heart.

“Making new friends, Ardyn?” Noctis said, looking the professor up and down.

“Just making sure Ignis is comfortable at TU,” Ardyn said. “But I must be off. Classes start Monday. The classical literature department won’t run itself.”

The man was gone before the three of them could say anything. Luna watched him go, her eyes boring into his back as if she was intending to glare a hole right through him. Noct’s watchful eyes weren’t very different.

“Are you okay?” Noctis asked, looking concerned.

“Yes, although… that was… uncomfortable,” Ignis muttered. “Do you two know him?”

Noctis laughed bitterly and Luna elbowed him hard in the ribs. “Better than we’d ever want to.”

“Did he say he ran the Classical Literature department??” Ignis asked, flabbergasted.

Luna nodded grimly.

“Gods,” Ignis swore, taking off his glasses and covering his eyes. This semester was already beginning to wear him thin and it hadn’t even started yet.

“ _You don’t even know_ ,” Noctis said, a squeal of excitement rippling through him. “Ow!” he whined, as Luna elbowed him again. Ignis wasn’t sure if he even wanted to know what they could possibly be implying- something more sinister, perhaps.

Ignis sighed and sat at the bar. The silver-haired woman sitting at the end, who the blond bartender was batting his eyelashes at, chuckled at him. “I see you’ve met my charming department head.”

Ignis groaned. “He’s mine as well.”

“Oh yeah? What lab? Or do you teach?” she asked. “Name’s Aranea, by the way.”

“From the Ancient Texts lab?” Ignis asked.

She nodded with a smirk. Ignis was starting to wonder if that was just her smile. “You must be the new guy. With the fiery name.”

“Ignis,” he said, with a pleased laugh.

He spent the rest of his evening, relieved to have relatively normal company. As it turned out, Noctis was Ravus’ roommate, which Ignis found fascinating, though Noct was less than pleased about it. He and Noctis had one thing in common, a strong uniting force that made them fast friends: Ravus Nox Fleuret was an obnoxious know-it-all. 

* * *

The air was wet, but the sky was clear. Ravus parked his bike thoughtfully and walked toward the farmers’ market. With any luck, he could grab some lunch here, undisturbed, and shop in peace.  He’d discovered this market as a third-year undergraduate when he finally moved out of the dorms, and it was expensive, but worth it.

As he walked, he spied a stand selling fresh herbs, and he wandered over, the scents filling his nose. Ravus cooked simply, but he was exacting about fresh, quality ingredients. As he perused the stand, a lovely idea for a hopefully solitary dinner began to take shape in his mind.

He purchased a brioche egg sandwich for breakfast/lunch, and found an empty park bench to sit and enjoy it. Finally, fresh coffee greeted his nose and taste buds with its familiar bitter savor, and he leaned back, throwing an arm over the bench and relaxing. He watched the bustle of the market and thought how much he enjoyed living here. The river flowed through the center of town behind him, like the city itself seemed to flow through his veins. Ravus looked forward to hopefully staying for several years doing graduate work. The tension headache that had been building since he’d gotten cross with Ardyn this morning began to melt - a function of both the caffeine and the fresh air, he presumed.

Checking his watch, Ravus screwed the cup back onto the top of his thermos, stood up, and stretched. He needed to finish shopping before his favorite vendors closed up for the day. Zoldara Rivers Farms’ stand was still open, though the butcher told him he’d just sold out of his last grass-fed cut of garula, but he settled for some free-range daggerquill breasts instead. He thanked the vendor, tucked them in his bag, and pondered what he had already at home - that Noctis hadn’t already lain waste to, he glowered.  He should be set for tonight and the next few days.

Ravus was pleasantly surprised to come home to a tolerably clean kitchen and what seemed to be an empty apartment when he returned, judging by the absence of shoes near the door. Nyx was, despite his distaste for pants, a fairly good influence on Noctis, Ravus thought. He just wished they’d spend more time at Nyx’s place. Anyway, Ravus’ spirits lifted given the stretch of deliciously solitary afternoon in front of him.  

Ravus chopped lemongrass, set the daggerquill in the refrigerator to marinate, and put the rest of the groceries away. He sighed - at least the fridge had inadvertently been cleaned out last night.  Coffee gone, he brewed a cup of his favorite sylleblossom tea, and retreated to the living room to curl up on the couch.

As he sat down with a book, he felt his untouched guitar look reproachfully at him from the corner, where it stood sadly in its stand, gathering dust.  A complicated mix of feelings rose in his throat as he reached for it and smoothed the dust from its surface. The tuning fork was still where he’d left it on the floor, and as he turned the knobs to pull the strings back into tune, he felt bittersweet longing in his chest.

He played the two or three songs he could recall from memory a few times each and lost himself in the melodies and the memories they evoked. He moved on to strumming a few more popular radio tunes until the pads of his fingers became sore. He frowned at them, noting that the callouses he used to have were gone and would need to be built up again.  He replaced the guitar on its stand with a faint smile, resolving to make time to play more often.

His phone buzzed with a text - it was Loqi, checking on their plans for the night. Ravus sighed - truth be told, he was not fantastically excited about this band tonight, but both Loqi and Crowe had convinced him to give them a chance. He texted them both to meet up at Lindsay’s for craft beers beforehand, and curled up on the couch with his book.

For once, Ravus enjoyed a work of fiction - the last piece of a relatively leisurely summer before having altogether too much academic reading, which he knew would pile up. The book was a wonderful escape, a romantic fantasy tale, and he enjoyed the back and forth between the main party members.

He looked up to fading light and was reminded to pull out the chicken and make dinner. As he stirred over the stove, the bright green scent of the lemongrass wafted, and he dropped glass noodles into the boiling water. The warmth and the smell of cooking food was a comfort.

He enjoyed a quiet dinner, managing to almost finish his novel while he ate. Ravus checked his watch and dropped his dishes in the sink, then headed to his room to change his clothes.

Ravus flipped through his closet and landed on a new shirt he'd been wanting to wear. Black and white was a color scheme he enjoyed, and he preened just a little in the mirror, enjoying the way the white lotus flowers printed on the black shirt set off his hair. Short sleeves weren’t quite enough for a Tenebrae night in October, so he grabbed his leather jacket and headed out.

The sun hadn’t quite set all the way and Ravus enjoyed the rosy glint off the river as his steps led him downtown. Hands in pockets, he watched as the neon flickered and the lamps lit the people in the restaurants and bars along his way. He turned down well-known paths toward Lindsay’s. Known for its extensive beer list and its proximity to the graduate student housing on campus, it was a relatively quiet and laid back place - perfect to sit and talk for a little while before having his ears assaulted. Ravus grinned wryly. He wasn’t expecting to enjoy this band very much, but Loqi and Crowe had both sung its praises, and he usually trusted their judgment. But the description of the band and the few clips he’d listened to online had failed to grab him.

It didn’t matter. Being out tonight was good enough. A perfect end to probably one of the last leisurely Saturdays he’d have before starting a very busy semester of classes, research, and all the responsibilities of his new lab position.

Before he could worry at that thought however, he pulled the old red painted door open and the warmth of the bar washed over him. Loqi’s bright blond head was already visible at a table toward the back, and Crowe waved him over. Ravus nodded at them both and pulled up a chair. The waitress showed up almost instantaneously to take his order, and Ravus examined what the other two had. Crowe was drinking what looked like a porter or stout and he wasn’t in the mood for that. He glanced over at Loqi’s pint glass, and then shared a look with Crowe.

“Yep, some kind of pumpkin bullshit.” Crowe smirked, and Loqi huffed, taking a large sip.

Ravus wrinkled his nose, shook his head, and looked at the list. “I’ll just have this Insomnian Pale Ale, thank you.”  The waitress nodded and smiled, and moved away to her next table.

“Nice shirt.” Loqi’s snort and tone made clear the compliment wasn’t sincere.

Ravus just laughed. “Says the person wearing that monstrosity.” Loqi was half Ravus’ size, at best, and sported a massive woven, hooded pullover in stripes of black, red, yellow and green with a pocket at the front.

“The seven-thirties called, they’d like their fashion back.” Ravus shucked off his jacket and hung it on the back of his chair.

Crowe laughed and took a sip of her beer. “He’s got you there, short stack.”

Loqi mumbled something about his grandmother's couch around his beer, and Ravus speculated about the possibility of a pickup hacky sack game with Loqi and those similarly attired, but it was good-natured.  They talked about the upcoming semester, but mostly just relaxed and people-watched, enjoying their respective brews.

They walked around the corner together to the venue under glowing street lights that diffused slightly in the still-damp air. As they arrived the opener was just starting their set, and Ravus looked down at the bright blue stamp on his hand with a small smile - it carried the memory of many other nights, some hazy, some sharp.

The buzz of the patrons was soon overtaken by the swelling music from the band. They were an energetic three-piece with a passionate singer and clearly had enthusiastic fans in the crowd who were singing along. They were good, and Ravus found himself nodding his head and smiling. They covered one of his favorite songs, an older tune, and he relaxed into the crowd and the music. He cheered as loudly as anyone else as the short set came to a close, and stepped up to the bar to order another drink during the break.

“I swear, you'll dig them, Ravus.” Crowe was emphatic. “I play them in Luna's car all the time, but live - it's a whole different thing. You'll fall in love.”

Ravus laughed, shaking his head and paying for his drink as Loqi nodded emphatically. “I'm prepared to be mildly entertained, but I'm afraid I don't adore them as much as the two of you do.”

Loqi looked at him smugly. “Just wait.”

Ravus laughed easily in response and leaned on the bar. He’d been dragged to far worse, he was sure, especially by Loqi.

The lights dimmed again, and the venue erupted in cheers. From the superior vantage point afforded by his height, Ravus was able to watch as the frenzied energy of the devoted fans up front fanned out, back to the casual concert goers like himself, waiting patiently for the first sounds.

The singer introduced herself shyly and thanked the crowd, then glanced at her bandmates. As the song started, Loqi bounced happily. The chords slid smoothly around the harmonies of the vocalists. As the song swelled toward the chorus, Ravus felt a surge of emotion he hadn't expected, and grinned foolishly despite himself. Crowe raised one “I told you so” eyebrow, and Ravus shook his head as Loqi left them and began burrowing his way toward the front, sliding his tiny frame in and around the members of the crowd.

The set took the audience on a journey through uniquely pitched emotions, from casual regret to bitter longing, and while the crowd cheered after one song finished, Ravus leaned over toward Crowe.

“You were right.” He nodded toward the stage and smiled. She gave him a self-satisfied grin and started swaying along to the chords of the next tune.

After the show, a slightly sweaty but buoyant threesome parted ways, wished each other the best for the start of a new year, and headed home.

Ravus lay on his bed for a while, gazing at the moon outside the window with his hands behind his head. He was a little too keyed up to sleep, but too worn out to get up. He drifted off to sleep almost without realizing, and didn't wake until soft sunlight teased at his eyelids.

Ravus blinked and shook his head. He shot a look at the clock across the room - plenty of time to make it to the tennis courts by ten, thankfully. When was the last time he'd forgotten to set an alarm?  It was a delicious luxury, anyway, and one that he'd have to give up all too soon. Ravus stretched languidly and headed toward the shower.

The morning sun had nearly dried all of yesterday’s rain from the courts, and Luna waved at him excitedly as she approached from the opposite direction.

“Good morning,” she called out cheerily. “You look well.”

Ravus grinned. He was genuinely pleased to see and spend time with Luna. She worked hard, and it was important to him to get her away from the books and out in the sunshine every so often.

“So do you. Enjoying your last weekend of freedom for a while?” He met her across the net of the court they'd reserved, and passed her a couple balls.

She smiled and nodded, stepping back and bouncing a ball a couple of times. “Lovely, enjoyable, relaxing.” She served over the net toward him easily, warming up as they usually did.  

“Didn't you have some department event? At a bar or something?” He swung easily, returning the ball, as the wind whipped hair into his face. He held up a finger. “Hold on a moment?”

Luna laughed and paused, shouldering her racket so Ravus could scrape his hair into a messy half-ponytail. “Yes, the mixer.” Ravus thought he saw her eyebrows pull together in a brief frown, but it passed and she looked up at him. “Ready?”

He nodded, and they continued.

“The mixer was fine. It was good to catch up with some people I hadn't seen all summer. My new roommate -”

Ravus hit a return, much faster than was necessary, and it burned by Luna with a decent amount of heat on it. He looked at her, a little embarrassed. “Can we not talk about him, please? Along with _my_ disgusting roommate, he's been the unpleasant part of this largely very nice weekend.”

Luna laughed. “Yes, Crowe told me you liked the band last night. Ready to start playing in earnest, I take it?” She smiled at him, but her eyes held a competitive glint. “Short sister gets first serve.”

Ravus rolled his eyes, but waved his racket in acquiescence. “I'm glad you had a nice time.” She placed her shot well, and he had to stretch for it.

“I was surprised that your _boyfriend_ showed up.” The emphasis she put on the word was heavy with disapproval. Ravus felt the force of her return twang off his racket as well.

“He's the faculty advisor for the group, isn't he? I think they're required to go to at least a few events. Probably getting it out of the way early.” Ravus hung back, watching Luna's shot drop, then winced. He was sure that had been out of bounds, but it had fallen just the right side of the line for Luna to score. He had power and reach on her, by a lot, but her accuracy was superb.

She shrugged, and bounced the ball before her serve. “Fifteen-love. Anyway, I hope you had a nice time with him on Friday.” Both her tone and her serve were stiff.

Ravus ran up toward the net to return the ball. “I don't know what you have against him. I realize the circumstances at the beginning were… unconventional, but he's perfectly nice. And brilliant. You and Crowe should -”

She cut him off with a sharp thwack of her racket. “Absolutely not. Unless you want Crowe opening her mouth. She likes him less than I do. Surprising that's even possible, but there you have it.” She was angry, and it allowed Ravus an opening to shoot the ball past her.

Luna retrieved the ball and tossed it to Ravus to serve. He paused. “Ardyn is - important to me. I would appreciate it if you would at least try.”

She made an annoyed noise as she hit it back to him. “I do try. The civility you've observed is the extent of my possible efforts.”  

Ravus sighed and ran after the shot, all the way at the back of the court. He dropped it just over the net on her side, and Luna fell short.  

“Fifteen-fifteen. Let's pick a more pleasant topic, shall we?” She wiped sweat from under her bangs with a forearm, then held up her hand for Ravus to throw the ball to her.

They played, discussing the concert, the upcoming school year, and other, safer subjects, until a rousing bark drew their attention. Crowe, Pryna, and Umbra lingered outside the chain link enclosure, and Luna's face lit up. It warmed Ravus to see her so happy, and he waved her off. He was sure he'd run into Ardyn around campus tomorrow. Probably.  

* * *

Ignis thought for sure he would be late. After the chaos of moving to Tenebrae and nearly failing to find a coffee shop, let alone an apartment, he was almost positive that Tenebrae University would have the same labyrinthian feel that the city itself did.

He did _not_ like to be late. Being late was not something that Ignis did- not if he could help it. He left his apartment an hour early, leaving him ample time to walk to campus and find his way to the Classical Literature building. It was nearly missable- just a tiny little building west of the student bookstore- but Ignis was already rather fond of its marble columns and antique feel. He could even see himself sitting out in front with a hot coffee and a lab report on a nice day, if there ever was one.

The hallways were rather dark, almost dingy; it wasn’t surprising, as Lucis U was always immaculate on the outside, yet rather horrifying on the inside as well. It was just the way of university life, to be a shining example with rather questionable insides. Ignis laughed quietly to himself at the notion, realizing the same motif could be reflected on the student body, himself included.

He checked his phone as he stopped at the end of the hall on the fourth floor. Room 409- this was it, apparently. A small piece of paper taped to the bottom of the room number read, ‘LEONIS LAB- ANCIENT TEXT STUDY’. This was the one. He could feel his heart begin to race in his ribcage at a breakneck pace as he pushed the door open.

“Oh, hey, foureyes,” Aranea said from her chair, which she was sprawled across lazily. A booted foot bobbed up and down as she picked at her cuticles. “You’re early. We were just having a meeting.”

Ignis smirked at her odd choice for a term of endearment, but it was better than other words he could think of that she could’ve called him. He pushed his glasses up his nose, pointedly as he smiled at her. “I’m never anything but early, the very least on time.”

The man sitting across from her, looking equally bored, grunted. “Good. I like that in my grad students.”

“You must be Dr. Leonis,” Ignis said as the man rose from his seat with a groan. “Pleasure to meet you. I’m Ignis Scientia. We spoke on the phone?”

Cor shook his hand firmly- Ignis was quite sure the man was trying to see if he could squeeze the fingers off of his palm- before sitting back down and hooking his ankle around a chair, pulling it forward. “Sit,” he grunted.

Ignis set his book bag on the floor before taking his seat in the old, cushioned rolling chair. A puff of dust rose from it as he rested his weight in it. Tears formed in his eyes and he coughed as the dust assaulted his sinuses.

“Sorry, we drew straws with the other labs and got the short one, so we get the shit chairs,” Aranea complained. Ignis nodded as he coughed up what he was sure was a lung.

“We’re just waiting for my other graduate student,” Cor said gruffly.

As Ravus walked up to the front door, the Classical Lit building had greeted him like an old friend. He hadn’t been a perfect student by any means, but coming out on top of his class in the end had made the entire experience take on a much rosier tint.  He walked in almost precisely when the clock ticked over to 9:00, raking a hand through his hair. He’d been concerned with his appearance on the first day in his new position, and it had made him rush a bit this morning. He still had coffee in hand, and set it on the desk quickly to shake Cor’s hand.

He nodded at Aranea, who gave him an amused smile. They’d met during their undergraduate years, and though they didn’t know each other well, he’d always gotten the feeling that she found him vaguely hilarious.  It wasn’t his favorite thing about her.

Cor glared at Ravus’ coffee and shook his hand. Ravus was surprised by his grip, and returned it in kind.

“I take it you two already know each other.” Cor indicated Aranea with a small movement of his head.

“Yep.” Aranea didn’t look up from the forms she was shuffling through.

“This is your new lab partner - he’s a new student here.” Cor looked at Ignis to introduce himself.

Ravus looked over. _What? No, this has to be some kind of mistake. This - person can’t keep showing up in every single area of my life. That would simply be unfair._

“We’ve met. Ignis.” Ravus said tightly, through his teeth.

Ignis took a moment to look him over, masking his disbelief behind a facade of irritation. “Ravus, isn’t it?”

Ravus sighed, through his nose, as quietly as he could. “Yes, it is.” He shook Ignis’ hand, as quickly as possible, and looked over to Cor. “Would you like us to get started?”

“As soon as possible. This project is urgent. Aranea will show you the lab.”

Aranea watched the interplay between the two with a grin. “Follow me, you two.”

The lab itself was rather small. Old wood paneling made the room itself rather dark, and the fluorescent tubing overhead buzzed with the same awful pitch as the lights in the hallways. There was adequate working space, though, which was nice. Plenty of tables and chairs, as well as a few rather expensive-looking computers sat at a few of them.

Ignis wondered if he’d get his own equipment- then again, if they were drawing straws for chairs, certainly they didn’t have the funding for what he needed to measure half-lives of isotopes. Maybe he could get a microscope for ink testing if he rubbed Cor the right way. Then again, there didn’t seem to _be_ a right way to rub him.

Ignis made a mental note to befriend whatever chemistry professors had ample equipment on campus.

The only really odd thing in the lab was an old, fading denim sofa. It was as worn as it was ugly; Ignis could see sinks in the cushions, reminiscent of years of abuse, and maybe perhaps proper sitting occurred here as well. The arms sagged, rips and tears scattered throughout its body. Ignis had never felt bad for a piece of furniture before- until he saw this couch, that is.

Ravus followed Ignis into the lab, peering around at the dim light and gazing at the computers. He wasn’t entirely sure why a “lab” was necessary to analyze ancient texts, but he figured it was just a title given to the place where graduate assistants did their work. He saw desks to spread out on, and that was good enough.

Ravus stepped inside and claimed the largest desk with the best light, figuring since he’d be the one staring at Old Tenebraean until the wee hours, it made sense. He set his bag down directly on the surface of the desk and half-sat on the edge of it, sipping his coffee and eyeballing Ignis. His hair fell loosely around his collar.

Ignis looked tense and annoyed, and Ravus was curious what he could possibly have to complain about. He’d landed an amazing position on one of the most interesting projects to come through the university in years, _and_ he was just here to run numbers and do little side projects - what could be easier?  Maximum payoff, minimum effort, Ravus thought to himself as he sipped his coffee.

This room was, even by TU standards, surprisingly horrid, though.  That couch in particular was the shabbiest thing he thought he’d ever seen, and he didn’t know who in what era had decided denim was an appropriate fabric, but he thought they ought to be hung by their thumbs.  Ignis still hadn’t spoken, and Ravus sat in the chair and kicked his feet up on the desk.

“So. How much do you know about this project, anyway?” Ravus eyed Ignis skeptically. How much could a - whatever field he was - really understand about what they were doing here?

“Well,” Ignis started, putting a hand on his hip, “I know, for one, that I’m the forensic chemistry major assigned to this project. I’m going to be determining the half-life of isotopes in the ink of the texts in order to determine their legitimacy, as well as origin and other information we may be able to garner from my research. Is that enough for you, Ravus?”

Ravus blinked. He’d only understood about half those words, but he wasn’t about to let Ignis see that. “No one’s died here, I’m not sure why we’d need a forensic analysis.” He laughed. “But I’m sure once you’ve done your work, we can move on to the core analysis of understanding the meaning of the texts in their proper historical context.”  He took another sip of coffee, and then something dawned on him.

“Did you say _legitimacy_? I should think that’s hardly in question.”

“On the contrary,” Ignis said. “It’s perfectly reasonable to question the origin of any culturally significant document. Lucis’ texts were analyzed decades ago. It’s only now that the Tenebraeans are finally coming to their senses.”

“Our _senses_? What is that supposed to mean? These texts have lain underground undisturbed for hundreds of years. Everyone knows that, and it’s well documented and recorded if you need proof.” Ravus waved a hand dismissively, spilling a small drop of coffee on the desk.

“Don’t you think it’s ignorant, _infantile,_ even, to assume so much meaning and coincidental evidence from texts that haven’t been seen by the naked eye in hundreds of years?” Ignis retorted. His foot tapped against the grimy linoleum tile in irritation.

Ravus swung his feet off the top of the desk and planted them firmly on the ground. “Ignorant? Infantile? Oh, I’m sure that’s exactly how the generations of historians and curators would characterize it. How dare you? You know nothing of these tomes or their history. You’re not even” - he looked Ignis up and down - “likely familiar with the lore they contain. Avoid shooting your mouth off before you have all the facts, and perhaps we can get through this project.”

Ignis smirked. “Fine, then. I look forward to proving you wrong. When you sign off on the research proving it, as we _all_ will have to do, make sure to sign your name very clearly for me. I’ll make sure to send you a certified copy of the lab report.”

Ravus stood up and took a step toward Ignis, looking slightly down at him. “Oh, I look forward to the results of the research. And I also look forward to your apology for your culturally insensitive and ignorant remarks.” He wanted to step forward and poke a finger into Ignis’ chest, but he resisted.

“They’re not insensitive _or_ ignorant if they’re correct, Ravus,” Ignis quipped. “Do you really think the board would allow someone who _wasn’t_ Tenebraen to poke around their ancient texts, anyway? I really thought you would recognize an accent when you heard it.”

Caught off guard, Ravus searched the room for a trash can for his empty coffee cup. He tossed it in angrily. “It’s easy to talk however you like.”

Just then the door cracked open, and Aranea’s head poked in. “Are you guys squabbling already? Cor has paperwork for Ignis, and Ravus - you need to start setting up for the project. C’mon, stop fucking around.”

She opened the door the rest of the way and handed papers to Ignis. “You’re not in the system to get paid yet - you need to fill out this W4 and some other stuff. Ravus, you’re fine - they have you from last year.” She turned back to Ignis. “Just fill this out and drop it off at the admin building. They’ll put you into the computer. Couple of professors got in big trouble for not paying folks right a couple years back, so Cor’s stressed out about this. It’s not good for you to have Cor stressed out about things.” She peered at Ignis over the rest of her papers sternly.

“I’m afraid I have no idea where the administration building is,” Ignis replied. “I just moved in not three days ago. This is my first time even stepping foot on campus.”

Aranea sighed. “Fine. Ravus will show you where it is,” she said, grinning impishly at the ivory-haired man, “And get us lunch while you’re at it. Keep the change. Buy yourself a cheeseburger or something.”

With that, she thrust a note and a wad of cash into Ravus’ waiting hands and closed the door before either could argue.

Ravus looked at the note in his hands - a scribbled lunch order for Cor and Aranea- as though it was a snake. He looked at Ignis, whose expression of disgust at being treated like an errand boy mirrored his own.  “Oh, I’m sure this is critical to moving the project forward.” He rolled his eyes. “Glad to see they’re taking full advantage of our skills.”

“Because we both received undergraduate degrees with honor in…” Ignis leaned over Ravus’ shoulder to peer at the note. “Fetching gyros with extra fries, hold the tzatziki on one. Extra onion on the other. Gods.”

“I mean, the gyros at the student union _are_ one of the best things at TU….” Ravus kept himself from smiling and shouldered his bag again. “Come on. Try to keep up.”  He stalked toward the center of campus, not bothering to look and see if Ignis was behind him.

Though Ignis was tall himself, Ravus had a good six inches on him, all of which must have been leg. He could barely grab his bag and stuff the papers inside before he heard Ravus step into the stairwell. Not one to complain, though, he took the stairs two at a time, watching the hair knotted loosely at the nape of Ravus’ neck bounce up and down as they descended the stairs.

It wasn’t a far walk to the administration building, thank goodness. He wouldn’t have to be in Ravus’ company much longer. Though he was still seething over Ravus’ snide remarks in the laboratory, he did find some camaraderie in the fact that they were going to be doing more lab grunt work than originally thought.

Ignis’ eyes wandered as he lost himself in thought, choosing to walk behind Ravus rather than beside him- he didn’t want to be _seen_ with such a pompous ass- and they settled on the long length of his legs. Ravus carried himself with powerful strides, each ending with a strong clump of his polished boots against the ground. Even if he _was_ awful, the man was still elegant.

Ignis shuddered and tried to find literally anything else to look at, choosing to admire the humming green generators behind their building, which were remarkably less interesting.

Ravus walked faster than he needed to - he took walks with Luna all the time and was well aware of how to measure his steps for a shorter person - but he was still seething. The questions Ignis had raised about the authenticity of the texts Ravus had spent his academic career studying had rattled him, even if he was convinced that it was pretentious puffery in the interest of lending importance to Ignis’ own field of study.

But the way those piercing green eyes had stared him down told him that Ignis, at least, believed it to be true. And, much as he was insufferable, mouthy, and arrogant, he did seem intelligent. Ravus huffed and finally looked behind him. It wouldn’t do for him to come back alone and lose his lab assistant on the very first day. Sadly, his long, quick strides had failed to make Ignis trot to keep up as he’d hoped.  Instead, Ignis strolled behind him, gazing at the campus around them.

“Well, come on then. We haven’t got all day.”

They had stopped in front of a looming, ancient building. Ravus merely stood there, tapping his foot, as Ignis looked at him expectantly. Was he really going to leave him to fend for himself in that massive behemoth of a building? As soon as the question passed his mind, he knew the answer. Of _course_ Ravus would do that to him.

Luckily, there was a reception desk and a very friendly woman who was more than willing to help Ignis get his paperwork in order. It only took a few minutes, for which Ignis was grateful; he was used to the grindingly slow pace of LU’s catatonic administrative system. Ignis bounded down the steps of the building to where Ravus was waiting almost triumphantly.

“Done already!” Ignis remarked. “TU’s system is so much better than Lucis U’s. You’re lucky.”

“Indeed.” Ravus pushed off from the column he’d been slouched against. “Come on, CSI. Let’s go get lunch.” He led the way to the student union building next door, where the smell of greasy food wafted up from the food court in the basement.

Ravus knew where the Greek food place was, so Ignis trailed behind him yet again, and they stood in line together and placed the order they’d been given, as well as ones for themselves. They walked and ate on their way back to the Classical Lit building, which slowed Ravus down enough that Ignis was within his sights this time.

Out of the corner of his eye, he did notice that Ignis seemed to know how to dress. It was too bad, really, that he was so abrasive. He really was - not unpleasant to look at.

Ravus was right; the gyros were really quite delicious. Ignis hadn’t been expecting such good food from the student union, of all places. Choosing to eat while walking back to the lab had slowed Ravus down some, for which Ignis was secretly grateful. He wasn’t about to inhale lunch while speed-walking behind his lab assistant _and_ keeping eyes on those endless legs- not that he needed to. They were just something to watch, after all.

Rather, he walked beside him at a position where he could actually look at the face of the man he’d grown so quickly to despise. Now that he wasn’t boiling with what little self-control he had holding down the lid of the pot, he could actually look at Ravus, and what a sight to see the man was.

Striking eyes- blue and _purple_ , of all colors, Ignis had never seen anything quite like it- set over piercing cheekbones gave him a look that was almost regal, as if everyone in his bloodline had been carefully selected so as to produce such a stunning heir. Thankfully, an errant drip of tzatziki brought him back to reality- he wasn’t about to spill yogurt sauce on his brand-new button up.

Ravus noticed that Ignis had quickly absorbed the path he’d taken toward the center of campus, and was winding his way confidently back to their lab. Sneaking another glance around the bite of gyro, he noticed again the distinctive, spiked-up hairstyle Ignis wore. He grudgingly admired Ignis’ individual style, and couldn’t help but notice the way his buttoned shirt was perfectly tailored to his lean frame. He watched Ignis thoughtfully chew a bite, and returned his attention to his own food as they rounded the last corner on their way back.

Ignis sighed, tossing the wrappers into the garbage before re-adjusting his bag on his shoulder. “I suppose it won’t be _too_ awful to grab food for Aranea and Cor if we get a free meal out of it.”

“I suppose.” Ravus huffed through his nose. “You’d think they could find someone else for these menial tasks, but based on the pittance they’re paying, I’m not exactly in the position to turn down free food.” His gaze met Ignis’ with the faintest hint of shared annoyance, and he almost smiled.

Aranea stopped him as soon as he set foot inside the door, to snatch their food delivery and replace it in his hands with more paperwork. Ravus looked at it and groaned.

“Budget. Action item one. You’re both actually on the clock for this, so no bitching. We need a detailed project plan, including dates and budget estimates. I have samples if you haven’t done this before, but I don’t have time today to walk you through it. Tell Cor when you’re done - I have to leave in a few minutes.”

Ignis shot a passing glance at Ravus as Aranea retreated to the office she shared with Cor, as if to express his disdainful acceptance of Aranea’s instructions. Helpful wasn’t a word he would use to describe her, but at least she kept to herself. That way he could establish his own routine without someone getting in his hair about it.

Ignis took a seat beside Ravus at the large, oak desk he seemed to have claimed as his own. He tried his best to ignore the warmth that radiated from his large frame in the chilly room- Ignis had forgotten a coat _again_ , he was really going to have to learn better- as he pored over the documents.

Ravus looked over his shoulder at Ignis, who had scooted his chair closer to be able to look at the sample documents Aranea had given them. He was quite close, really, and Ravus wasn’t entirely sure why that bothered him.

“These are fairly simple. I’ve done them before. Look, why don’t I just fill in the meat of the project and then you can come in and add the parts where you - do whatever it is you do. Isotopes.” Ravus waved a hand dismissively, and then moved the mouse to wake the computer.

Ignis frowned slightly at Ravus’ nonchalant wave and narrowed his eyes. “Surely you understand that the majority of the budget is dedicated to the _whatever it is I do._ Which is perhaps the most important part of this whole project.”

“Most important? Hardly. The point is the texts. I study the texts, and have done work in this area for the past four years. Poking at the ink tells us nothing about the greater import of the words they contain, and will certainly not help anyone -” Ravus hadn’t realized how loud he’d gotten until Aranea threw the door open and stomped into the room.

“Hey, the bickering was cute for about five seconds, and now it’s just disruptive and annoying.  Also, here’s the priority list from Cor. That’s half your work right there. He’s even assigned budget to some key items. Work this into the plan and give it to him before you leave for the day.”

Ravus eyed the list from Cor. He was irritated that just as many of the priority items seemed to be scientific in nature - why was Ignis so _involved?_ He was supposed to be here to analyze a few small things and be on his way, wasn’t he?

His gaze flicked to the top of the paper, and he noticed that he and Ignis were listed as co-leads on the project. He felt his face flush, and he tossed the paper on the desk. Unbelievable.

Ignis picked up the paper, eyeing Ravus’ disdainful expression as he held it in his hands. There it was, right there in writing. Co-leads. He was not only supposed to sit in the same room for the next year with this insufferable man, but he was supposed to work with him. Cooperate with him. More and more this research opportunity was seeming less like a dreamy, solitary job, and more like a torturous game of give and take with this prideful ass.

The paper felt like it was singeing his fingertips and he set it on the desk with the same vitriol Ravus had. He tried to remind himself that this would only be for a short time, that the work, the _suffering_ he would put into this place would surely be worth it in the end.

Ravus was already typing, hammering out the new document in the format Aranea had demanded as quickly as he could. He could hear how loudly his fingers were bashing the keys, but he was unable to calm himself. The sense of loss he felt at having to share this amazing research opportunity, and with such an incredibly intolerable, myopic, and insulting human being was enormous. All that was left was to focus on the work, and simply treat this forensic nonsense as a temporary roadblock.

Ignis tried to hold the heavy sigh that was weighing in his lungs, but it couldn’t be stopped as it rushed from his nostrils in full force. He tried to re-read the priority list, but he just couldn’t bring himself to look at such a stark reminder that everything he’d worked toward and hoped for was a bust. He was just another lab grunt, working alongside an irritable bastard who was surely going to give him hell.

He’d worked so hard, so _godsdamned_ hard, to get here. To get here and find that his golden goose was nothing but a fraud, that he was bound to suffer for a graduate degree that wouldn’t lead him into the academic prowess he had been expecting, hoping for. Everything seemed to be crumbling around him and the tight feeling in his chest was growing to be too much. He wanted to get out of here and find a place to breathe.

He thought about walking home, and then realized he didn’t even know _how_ to get home from there, and the sinking feeling in his gut spiraled even lower.

“Have you got this under control? I just realized… I have an appointment,” he muttered, lying through his teeth, but Ravus was the last person he wanted to know how defeated he was feeling.

Unbelievable.  Day one, and this arrogant piece of work was sticking him with the one substantive task they’d been assigned. And what kind of person scheduled an appointment on their very first day of work? Ravus was furious, but tried to look nonchalant as he waved his hand. “It’s fine. Eighty percent of it is direct from Cor anyway.” Ravus’ tone was tight and clipped.

“Thank you,” he muttered, trying to sound polite, even though the gratitude was half-assed. Ignis rose from his seat quickly, grabbing his bookbag and rushing out the door before Aranea or Cor had anything to say about it; surely, with Ravus’ sourness, Aranea’s non complacency, and Cor’s rough attitude, none of them would really care.

Which only hurt worse, for some odd reason. It was terribly frustrating. Ignis wasn’t one to allow himself to become emotionally wounded by another, and yet here he was. He drew a long, deep breath, and exhaled it in a rattle before extracting his phone from his pocket to call Luna and sheepishly ask for a ride home.

Ravus watched Ignis leave out of the corner of his eye, and waited until the door shut to lean back in his chair and sigh heavily. Was this what he had to look forward to? His lab _partner_ skipping out early and treating him like the resident secretary, sticking him with paperwork at every opportunity? He hadn’t even gotten a lecture about the superiority of the hard sciences, but Ravus was sure it was coming. He let out another irritated noise and returned to the paperwork, thinking again about the work, its importance, and how his name would look at the top of a research paper explaining all of the previously unknown details about the texts. And maybe at the top of a dissertation as well. He set his mouth in a firm line and continued typing.


	3. The Good Side of Bad Karma

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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Ulwaat berries were a finicky fruit. Sour in flavor with a strong aroma, a person unfamiliar with them would probably throw them in the trash. Not only were they rather detestable raw, but they were ugly little things. A pale pink, hard, and small, not even the hungriest Anak would choose them for a meal. At first meeting, ulwaat berries were horrible.

 

This particular morning, they had met their match.

 

Ignis had woken early and was unable to sleep. The worries, the anxiety of this new home, this new position and all that both had promised to be but weren’t, had made him sick to his stomach. The first week hadn’t been promising, either. He told himself it was merely an adjustment period, but truly, he was frustrated.

 

That’s why he found himself in the kitchen so early that morning. When he was feeling lost or confused, there was always comfort to be found in a hot oven or saucepan. He’d decided enough was enough and if there was anything he was truly gifted at, it was cooking and getting his way. He had always had a knack for debate and for baking.

 

Today, he would combine the two.

 

As he stewed the sickly looking fruit in his favorite pan, he thought of something- some _one_ , rather- that he’d interacted with that week that had been equally sour. Stark white hair, two-toned, icy eyes, and a scowl that could freeze burning coals. Ravus Nox Fleuret was sour indeed.

 

With the slow, gentle heat Ignis supplied through the old stovetop, the berries bubbled in a mixture of water and sugar. The pale, fading pink gradually brightened to a brilliant mauve in the solution. The pungent aroma of the berries was changing as well, into something sweeter that was almost earthy.

 

Yes, ulwaat berries were certainly unique. Preparing them was an arduous process that Ignis took his time with. Care, attention, and careful stirring would take the atrocious fruit and make it something truly wonderful. Even now, with just a little work, they were something that could be considered almost delightful.

 

Perhaps Ravus could be the same. Under a tough exterior that was built in defense of the elements, there might be something more intriguing. The sourness, the rough skin, the unpleasant aura, it might all be something presented in defense of something sweeter.

 

Then again, perhaps Ravus was just a pretentious ass whom Ignis was forced to deal with for this part of his graduate career. Ignis sighed as he dolloped batter and poured a small amount of his ulwaat compote into muffin cups.

 

It was too soon to tell. Ravus had been rather unpleasant that first week. Besides the fact that they’d spent an inordinate amount of time together- they shared the _exact same hours_ to both their dismay- the tiny lab they worked in couldn’t exactly be called cozy. Bumping elbows and whispered curses only made it worse.

 

After putting the muffins in the oven, Ignis took a can of Ebony from the fridge and plopped onto the downy couch. Umbra was quick to hop up and join him, laying his head across Ignis’ lap and panting happily. Ignis mindlessly scratched behind his ears as he sipped his coffee and stared out the window.

 

“What is that _smell_?” Crowe asked, rubbing her eyes.

 

“You’re up early,” Ignis chuckled.

 

“Meeting,” Crowe grumbled, dragging herself to the refrigerator and extracting a can of Ebony. She made her way to the couch and plopped down next to Ignis. “What are you baking?”

 

“Ulwaat muffins.”

 

Crowe made a disgusted face. “So you’re making the world’s nastiest muffins?”

 

“Quite the opposite, actually. When stewed slowly with a little sugar, the flavor turns out to be quite delightful,” Ignis said thoughtfully before draining his can of Ebony.

 

Crowe merely shrugged. “We’ll see.”

 

“They’re probably done if you’d like to try one,” Ignis said, rising to his feet and heading to the kitchen. Crowe’s light steps followed behind him; she had always struck him as a strong person, but he was surprised by how delicate she could be at times.

 

Pulling the tray from the oven drew a waft of warm, delicious air from its opening. Both Ignis and Crowe sighed at the delightful aroma. “Okay, I might be convinced,” she chuckled.

 

Ignis turned the tray over onto a towel and righted the muffins before their tops were squished. He examined them and picked the one with the most brilliant marbling of fluffy insides and ulwaat compote before peeling the wrapper and tearing it in two. “Cheers,” he said, “to the world’s nastiest muffins.”

 

Crowe laughed before taking a bite. Her eyes rolled back in her head. “Oh, _Iggy,_ ” she said with a moan.

 

“You’ve only been here a week and a half and already you are stealing my girlfriend,” Luna said with a laugh. Though she was dressed, she ran a comb through soaking wet platinum hair.

“Mmph, _Luna_ ,” Crowe said, rushing across the kitchen and holding a large chunk of muffin up in front of Luna’s face. “ _Eat this!”_

 

Luna gave her a skeptical, yet amused, look before taking the chunk between her teeth. Almost immediately, her eyelids fluttered and she smiled. “Oh, that’s _wonderful_ , Ignis.”

 

“Thank you,” he said with a smile, as he gathered the muffins up in the towel and set them in a clear plastic container.

 

“Where are the muffins going? Ignis. _Where are the muffins going?!”_ Crowe whined.

 

“To the lab. I feel… some kind of truce is in order,” Ignis explained vaguely. “Last week was rather trying.”

 

Crowe shrugged. “You having fun with Ray? He’s a character, huh.”

 

Ignis rolled his eyes as he tucked the muffins under his arm and grabbed his backpack. “A _character…_ one could say that.”

 

Luna giggled. “Ravus just takes some time to warm up to.”

 

“I’m afraid our pace is rather _glacial_ , dear Luna,” Ignis said with a smirk. “I’m off. See you two tonight?”

 

“Try not to murder the sonofabitch. I kinda like him,” Crowe said as she picked errant crumbs from the towel used to catch the muffins.

 

“No promises.”

 

***

Ravus woke up to - not the sound of his usual alarm. That was wrong. His face screwed up in confusion. It was too light outside, and when he walked over to the clock to see what was wrong, he saw it flashing 12:00 repeatedly. The power must have clicked off and on during the night, and now he was probably going to be late if he didn’t hustle.

 

After taking the fastest shower he could manage, Ravus hurried down the steps for coffee. He had at least enough time to make a quick pot and take it with him. He opened the cupboard and his face fell. Out of filters. He opened the coffee maker to find a disgusting mass of napkins and coffee grounds in a ball of sludge. Noctis, the idiot, had tried to make coffee without a filter, but used fast food napkins instead of a normal paper towel and they’d clearly disintegrated. Ravus wrinkled his nose and slapped the top of the coffee maker closed again.

 

He sighed and opened a different door. Food now, coffee on the way, maybe. He poured a bowl of cereal and opened the refrigerator to grab the milk. When he poured it, only a small trickle dribbled out. _Oh seriously, why even put it back when there is that little left?_ He slammed the vaguely damp bowl of cereal on the counter and went to the front door to grab his bag.

 

Ravus’ wet hair felt unpleasant stuffed inside a bike helmet in the cold fall weather, but he’d be there soon enough. As he was rounding a corner and preparing to stop at a red light, a parked car opened its door without looking, and he had to swoop hard to the side to avoid being struck.  As he hopped, off-balance and crabby, he heard the driver yell at him as though it was _his_ fault, and he hurled a few choice phrases over his own shoulder before the light turned.

 

He shivered as he locked his bike to the rack, but Ravus was satisfied that he’d at least managed not to be late. He realized sadly that he’d forgotten to stop for coffee, so there was no hope of warming up, really. He supposed today might be the day that he stooped to the disgusting coffee they sold at the student union, but the thought made him shudder.

 

Heaving a deep sigh, Ravus opened the door to the Classical Lit building and headed toward the lab. Aranea stopped him before he went into the shared office.

 

“Hey, you look like a truck ran you over. Did you remember to bring my report this morning?”

 

 _Shit._ Ravus wilted internally. No, he hadn’t, and that was just one more thing ruining this day before it even started. “Sorry, is tomorrow okay?”

 

She frowned, but not unsympathetically. “I guess.”

 

Ravus threw his bag onto the disgusting couch in a fit of petulance. Ignis was already there, of course, and looked properly groomed like a normal person. Unsurprising. He’d probably gotten all his share of the paperwork done, as well. Probably early. Probably just to piss him off, and - what was that _smell_?

 

He looked around, and spotted an adorably twee tupperware container holding - were those muffins? He felt like a pathetic, drowned rat staring hungrily through a shop window.

 

When Ignis had arrived, he had set his belongings beside the awful, faded couch in the corner and the container of muffins on his desk. He could feel the warmth of their freshly-baked goodness radiating from the container. Already, he could smell the sweetness of the berries and knew he’d made the right choice.

 

Even if he didn’t say anything to Ravus, the muffins themselves would do the talking for him. They would simply offer a truce, a treaty, perhaps. Ignis truly was sick of fighting with his sour labmate and would rather live the rest of the semester in a flimsy facade of politeness and quiet work than suffer more glaring and ire.

 

As Ravus arrived in a hurricane of moodiness, Ignis bolstered himself. He looked like he’d had a rough go of it this morning. His ivory hair hung in thick, wet strands around his face and looked as if it had been shoved rather unceremoniously under his bicycle helmet. Ignis watched carefully as he flung his things on the couch next to his own and laser-focused on the tupperware sitting on the desk.

 

It was the moment of truth. Either these muffins would pave the way to peace, or Ignis would discover that his irritable counterpart was allergic to his sour fruity doppelganger.

 

Ravus hovered next to the container on Ignis’ desk, inhaling the delicious sugary scent of the baked goodness. He looked at Ignis. “Did you bring these?” Stupid question - they were sitting right next to him. Of course he had. “Can I have one?”

 

Ignis nodded, a catlike smile hovering around the corners of his mouth. Had he made these himself? He seemed inordinately proud. Ravus nodded back at him and took one from the container, retreating back to the safety of his own desk.

 

Good gods, it was still warm. Ravus felt as though this tiny kindness had saved the day from complete despair, and was truly grateful, though he didn’t plan to admit it.

 

His plans flew out the window, though, when he took a bite. There was a tart sweetness to the berries that was familiar, and the combination of the taste with the light fluffiness of the rest of the muffin was incredible. He made an unintentional noise of pleasure, and took another bite. He heard a light snicker behind him, and didn’t even care enough to be annoyed. It would have taken energy away from consuming this amazing concoction and Ravus was nothing if not focused.

 

He did turn in his chair, mouth still full, to ask the most burning question. “Are these Ulwaat berries? Aren’t they really sour?” Embarrassed, he picked up a small crumb he’d sprayed in his exuberance. Ravus chewed and swallowed, and collected himself. “Thank you.” He turned back to start work for the day, placing the muffin carefully on the desk.

 

Ignis smiled softly, though the burn of victory in his chest was more than satisfying. Secretly, he was elated that Ravus liked them; he’d worked hard on them that morning in the hopes that he would. It wasn’t so much that Ignis wanted to please Ravus, so much that he wanted to smooth things over.

 

Now, seeing those tightened lips relax and open to receive the fluffy concoction Ignis had created, only to curl once more in a delightful smile instead of a painful frown... perhaps he was more than okay with the idea that Ravus did like them. The small noise of delight the ivory-haired man had made in response to the confectionary only made his victory that much sweeter.

 

“Yes, they’re ulwaat,” Ignis answered simply. “Normally they’re quite rank, but I stewed them in a simple syrup to bring out their tangy flavor.”

 

Ravus pondered. Ignis clearly had a talent for cooking. Or baking, he supposed. In any event, the end product was excellent. And the kindness was not lost on him, either. Ravus had not particularly been enjoying the last week and a half of barbed insults and sighs of exasperation. He enjoyed competition, but not constant antagonism, and things had been difficult around the lab, to say the least.

 

He realized that, with the muffins still warm, Ignis would have had to have gotten up quite early, and gone to a decent amount of trouble, all in the interest of smoothing things over. Despite himself, Ravus softened. He sat, pretending to read the reports on his desk and raking a hand through his still-wet hair, trying to salvage the mess that his morning disaster had created. A furtive glance across the lab revealed that Ignis was buried in his work, characteristically so.

 

Maybe they could manage this without constantly sniping at one another. He chewed, pondered, and turned on his computer.

 

Normally, the long string of idiotic administrative emails to be answered would have gotten under Ravus’ skin. Especially on a morning like this, it would have seemed interminable. Instead of grousing, or shooting off an ill-considered message, Ravus got up to take another muffin.

 

“May I?”

 

Ignis pushed the container toward his companion. “Please do. I’ve made far too many. Even if I were to take the leftovers home, Crowe and Luna surely would have trouble finishing them all.”

 

He tried to mask his pleased smile as he turned back to his work, though he did peek out of the corner of his eye to watch as Ravus sat at the other end of the lab with another muffin. Had they done the trick? Perhaps Ravus’ sour mood had been mollified.

 

“I find it hard to believe that Aranea wants all of this data analysis done by Friday,” he said quietly as he peered over his emails. “Between the two of us we’ll be lucky to have it done by next week at the earliest.”

 

Ravus nodded. “It definitely seems unreasonable. There are only two of us, after all. It would help if I hadn’t left half the damn thing in the apartment this morning.” Was he acknowledging a mistake in front of Ignis? Ravus pulled back and looked at the muffin he was eating suspiciously. He shrugged, and continued munching as he answered emails.

 

The door flew open, and Aranea burst in. “I heard there were muffins.” She swept forward and peeked into the container. “Ooo, these look nice. Can I take one for me and one for Cor?”

 

Ravus laughed quietly as Ignis acquiesced, and Aranea rushed back out clutching two of them. He waited until she was out of earshot, and then pushed his chair back to lean toward Ignis.

 

“They’re both for her - Cor doesn’t eat sweets, as far as I know,” he murmured conspiratorially. Ravus enjoyed Ignis’ grin and small chuckle, and they got back to work.

 

***

A possessive hand slid up Ravus' back as Ardyn pulled back and thrust fully inside, making a raw gasp slip from his throat. He felt fingers caress the front of his neck, but as they began to tighten, he peeled them away. He flung Ardyn's hand back at him as a particularly artful stroke made him arch his back and moan.

 

Ravus’ hands twisted in the sheets and he felt hair tickle his back. He prepared himself for the press of teeth, but was surprised to feel only the caress of a warm tongue at the joint of his shoulder and neck. It made him shiver, and Ardyn took advantage to increase his pace. Ravus felt another low sound escape him, answered by a grinding purr from the man behind him.

 

Strong fingers pressed into Ravus’ hips. Ardyn changed his angle, to one he knew would hit that sweet spot every time, and a louder, filthier sound filled the room. Ravus knew it came from him on some level, but as he realized it a wave of pleasure surged. He tensed and shuddered and came, seeing but not seeing the strands of his hair swing back and forth in front of the dark bedsheets. Ardyn chuckled behind him; then, with a few quick, brutal thrusts, reached his own release.

 

Ravus closed his eyes and just breathed, allowing the light, tingling feeling to swell and subside. He dropped onto an elbow as Ardyn finished tossing the condom and crept up beside him. He pushed his fingers into Ravus' hair and claimed his mouth in a deep kiss. Ravus kissed him back for a few moments, enjoying the softness and relaxing, but then pulled away and flopped back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling.

 

“What's the matter? You seemed to have such fun just now. You're not about to tell me I'm not _good_ at that, are you?” Ardyn gazed meaningfully at the large stain Ravus had left on the bed when he'd come.

 

Ravus had been careful not to lie in it, and his gaze flicked to Ardyn, then away. He scowled.

 

“Don't fucking choke me. I've told you I don't like that.”

 

Ardyn chuckled again. “Oh, come now, you know I won't hurt you. I thought if you tried it in the moment, you'd like it. I just want you to enjoy yourself.” His tone was wheedling.

 

Ravus let out a gust of frustration. His heart was still pounding. He flipped himself up off the bed in one swift motion and stalked to the shower.

 

As he waited for the water to heat up, Ravus tried to shake the unpleasant feeling that curdled in his stomach. Steam billowed out the shower door, and he closed his eyes and let the warmth envelop him.

 

 _Everyone makes mistakes, right?_ Ravus frowned and scrubbed, turning what was meant to be a few moments of relaxation into a utilitarian, brusque enterprise. It wasn't like Ravus himself hadn't stepped in it numerous times over the course of their year-long relationship. He considered whether he'd really been clear enough about this particular boundary, but dismissed that idea with a low breath of frustration. He had, on multiple occasions; the memory was quite distinct.

 

Ravus finished quicker than he'd intended, and walked back into the bedroom to clear the air. Ardyn had thrown on a robe and moved from the bed to his desk, with his back to Ravus as he approached. Ardyn snapped shut the folder he'd been working in, sliding the papers inside out of Ravus' view with a swiftness that was almost exaggerated.

 

Momentarily distracted, Ravus’ gaze flicked to the closed folder. He'd recognized the logo on the papers.

 

“That's for the Eos Academy conference, isn’t it?” Ravus heard the eager tone that crept into his voice and was a little disgusted with himself. It was hard not to be eager; the Eos Academy of Arts and Sciences’ annual conference was one of the most prestigious academic conferences around, and he'd been desperate to go since he'd first heard about it as a college sophomore. It was composed of graduate students and professors only, and was an amazing place to network and meet people Ravus might never get the opportunity to otherwise encounter. Graduate students had to be invited, however, as the guest of a professor.

 

Ravus very much wanted Ardyn to invite him. He hadn't wanted to assume, and quite frankly he'd thought it was far too early in the year to bring it up. But he knew - he thought, remembering some of their conversations - that Ardyn respected his work enough to ask him to go.

 

Ardyn stood up, placing himself between Ravus and the desk. “Don't worry about it.” An affectionate smile crept its way across Ardyn's lips. His gaze flicked up and down Ravus’ towel-clad form, and he reached over to run a finger across Ravus’ jaw. Ravus twitched away in annoyance. He refocused.

 

“Look, I want to - we need to talk about what just happened.” Why was it so difficult to get the words out?

 

“About that mind-blowing sex? Of course, you know I love to hear your filthy mouth.” Ardyn's voice deepened and he chuckled lasciviously.

 

Ravus’ eyes narrowed. “No - about the - Look, I've told you there are certain things I don't like doing, and it feels like you're not listening.” Ravus was frustrated with himself again. This was a person who cared for him very much - had told him and shown him that repeatedly. It shouldn't feel this hard to just have a conversation.

 

One of Ardyn's eyebrows slid up slowly. “You seemed to handle yourself just fine.” He eyed Ravus’ large frame as if to emphasize his physical prowess, something Ardyn had commented on several times in the past.

 

“That's not the point.” Anger flared again, and Ravus grabbed at clothing, collecting his thoughts. _The point is that you don’t take me seriously_ , he thought.

 

Ravus took a deep breath and strode back to the bathroom, turning on the hair dryer to try to put some space into the conversation so he could think.

 

The few minutes it took didn't help; Ravus’ thoughts and feelings were still snarled and confused. He startled at the warm pressure of a hand on his back, and he set the brush down and sighed. It felt like the caress was an apology, and he supposed he'd take it as such. He tried to relax into Ardyn's touch and told himself the matter was resolved.

 

It wasn't. As he rode back toward home, Ravus' gut turned over again. They'd had discussions like this before, too many times. They always ended the same way, swept under the rug. It rankled, but at the same time Ravus was convinced he was making too much of it.

 

He decided to go to Selena's instead of home. He had some of the reports he owed Aranea in his bag still, and he could sit and scribble on them, focus on something else for a while, and put the notes in on his laptop later.

 

A small smile crossed Ravus' face for the first time that morning as he checked traffic, signaled, then made a u-turn and headed for the coffee shop.

 

The familiar jangle of the bells and the warm smell of coffee soothed him as he opened the door. Nyx grinned and nodded at him, and Ravus almost laughed. He might as well be at home, given that his roommate had taken up his usual perch, giant headphones in place, at work on his computer like always. Noctis gave him a wave, and Ravus nodded at him. At least here someone would clean up after him.

 

He approached the counter, and Nyx finished cleaning bits of grounds from one of the machines, leaving the surface silver and gleaming, and greeted him.

 

“Large macchiato, right?”

 

“Yes, thanks.”

 

“You gonna hang out for a bit? It's pretty quiet today.”

 

Ravus nodded and smiled. A sigh, slightly too heavy, gusted out as he fished for his wallet.

 

“You OK, man?” Nyx looked at him with concern as Ravus swiped his card.

 

“What? Oh, yes, fine.” Ravus shook his head a little. “Just need to caffeinate, I think.” He smiled at Nyx but could feel the tightness in the expression, and cursed his lack of poker face.

 

Ravus pulled out his phone to busy himself while he waited, which was a mistake. A text from Ardyn had popped up while he was on his bike, looking to confirm Wednesday night plans. He read it, stared at it, then rolled his eyes and huffed, stuffing his phone back in his pocket.

 

The steam rising from his coffee distracted him, and Ravus nodded at Nyx and took it over to a corner table near the window. He pulled out the half marked-up report drafts and a pen, looking to pivot focus immediately, and colossally failed.

 

He realized he'd been staring at the same page without seeing it for five minutes, tossed the report on the table, and ran a hand through his hair. He sat back and looked out the window, caving to introspection.

 

Flashes of half-finished arguments and snide comments marched through his mind unbidden, and Ravus leaned back and rubbed his eyes. He really needed to be more assertive. He scowled. Or, perhaps his boyfriend could do a better job -

 

His thoughts were interrupted by Nyx, who turned a chair around and sat down opposite Ravus, slinging his arms over the back.

 

“What's eating you, Ray?”

 

Ravus attempted to school his features into neutrality. The twist of tension in his gut tightened as he thought of an acceptable response.

 

“Oh, nothing serious. Just a lot to do - you know how it is. Start of a new semester and all.” He smiled, leveling a steady glance at Nyx. “It's good to be busy; just a little stressful sometimes.”

 

Nyx tipped his head thoughtfully. “You sure?”

 

Ravus nodded, picking his coffee up and sipping at it carefully. “Yes, thank you. This is excellent, as always.”

 

It was - the warm blend of steamed milk and coffee was perfect and soothing.

 

“Well, don’t let it get to you, okay?” The bells had tinkled again, and Nyx clapped a friendly hand onto Ravus’ shoulder as he got up to greet the customer.

 

“Thanks.” Ravus realized he wasn’t going to make any progress on this report right now, and set down the pen, picking up his coffee with both hands. He pondered how to salvage the day, and realized he hadn’t been to the pool in a couple of weeks. The idea of it appealed to him, particularly as the weather cooled and the warm, heated water in TU’s fitness complex seemed like the perfect place to work out some frustration and clear his head. Maybe he could find a group of folks for a pickup game in the sphere.

 

***

 

It was everything he ever wanted. Everything he ever needed. Steam curled from the surface, ascending into the chilly air that surrounded his body, enticing goose pimples to rise from his cool flesh. The soft bodies of vapor wafted into the air and disappeared before his eyes. The liquid moved softly within its vessel, lapping at the sides, occasionally sloughing over its lip. Its smell struck his heart, causing nostalgia to seep into his core. Ignis closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.

 

“C’mon, weirdo, get in the damn pool,” Crowe called before splashing his shins with the delightfully warm water.

 

“Just a moment,” Ignis said, taking the surprisingly-soft towel he checked out with his student ID and laying it on a nearby chair with his glasses and phone. Luna and Crowe had already claimed most of it; of course, Crowe brought music, which crooned soft, alternative rock from its speakers. They probably couldn’t even hear it from the water. Even so, Ignis wasn’t about to turn it off. Something about the melody was so distinctly _Crowe_ , and only after two weeks of fast friendship it reminds him so much of her he was loath to turn it off.

 

He fiddled with his phone, trying to answer an email, but the porous, saturated skin of his thumbs made it hard work. Steam collected on its glassy surface, beading as he swiped at it with his fingers. Ignis cursed softly under his breath as the locker room door’s hinges screamed in protest as it swung open.

 

Ignis glanced up, away from his phone, having given up already on sending that email. Almost immediately, his eyes dropped back to the steamed surface of his screen as he muttered under his breath, trying to fight the rampant blush that was growing across his cheeks. He could feel the hot blood beneath the skin searing a path straight across the bridge of his nose and creeping into the tips of his ears.

 

How was he supposed to know Ravus was coming through that door?

 

Looking like _that_?

 

Of course, it would be Ignis’ luck that his lab partner was beautiful. There was no denying it here, not like at the lab, where he could gaze upon the multichromatic wonder of his visage, the graceful arch of his dizzyingly high cheekbones, simply look away, and tell himself that yes, Ravus had a rather pretty face. No, here, at the pool, with clothes cast aside in favor of the glorious sensation of warm water caressing the skin, there was no escape.

 

Ravus’ body was a marvel. Pale skin had the faintest tinge of rouge from the chilly air that teased at the most sensitive areas: the tips of his ears, the inside of his arms, _those cheekbones_. Ignis could never have known just how perfectly sculpted Ravus was, as if he was formed from white, sheer marble. He had to look away, briefly, as Ravus bent over to place his towel on a nearby chair- Ignis could feel that hook behind his belly button begin to pull slightly as arousal clawed as his loins.

 

Ignis immediately turned away. It had been some time since he’d felt anything like this, and of _course_ , it would have to be for Ravus Nox Fleuret. A man with such a despicably narcissistic personality _would_ have been crafted with such perfection in mind, if only to spite Ignis for even dreaming of seeing more of him, just for a moment.

 

It would be fine. Ravus would surely go off somewhere else to mind his own business and give Ignis some reprieve from this…. Whatever this was. Surely it was just a moment of carnal instinct, the more primitive, animal part of his brain reacting to the sight before him. He probably wasn’t the only one. Who couldn’t look, who _wouldn’t_ look, at the abs flexing below paper-white skin, at the thighs hugged by midnight-black spandex-

 

Ignis realized he was looking again and turned around, only to close his eyes and breathe deeply.

 

“Ray! Hey! Over here!” he heard Crowe call.

 

_Gods, no. Please-_

 

“Crowe. Luna. What are you doing here?” Ravus said.

 

“Ignis got free passes to the gym pool,” Crowe said. “He’s a student, so he gave me his,” she explained, lying back in the water as the olive skin of her chiseled abdomen bobbed in the surface of the pool. “This is _sooo_ nice, Ray. You students have it so lucky.”

 

“Right,” Ravus remarked, “What with the heaps of homework and grovelling we have to do.”

 

“He’s right, Crowe. This pool is filled with the tears of graduate students,” Ignis said as he dipped a foot in the pool.

 

Ravus snorted. Ignis tried to mask the small smile creeping across his face; since Ignis had brought muffins to the lab, things seemed to have cooled off. They were almost peaceful. Ignis wasn’t about to count his chocobos yet, though- they still had the entire semester to see whether a fledgling friendship could even be formed.

 

The blitzball sphere glittered above their heads. TU was well-endowed enough by various donors to have its own blitzball sphere. Not a lot of schools had one, though it meant that TU also had a blitzball team. Ignis had always been curious about the sport; it reminded him somewhat of rugby.

 

“Do you want to play?” Ravus asked.

 

Ignis looked at him and tried to suppress the shock that surely was growing across his face. Ravus’ expression soured a bit, but he stood firm, watching Ignis, waiting for him to respond.

 

“Well, yes, but I’m afraid I’ve never played before. I may not be very good.”

 

Was that a smile? Some form of one, anyway. Ravus’ eyes were soft as he spoke, his voice musical with bemusement. “It’s not like we’ll play professionally. Just a pickup game. It’s fairly simple.”

 

“Oh! I want to play,” Crowe said, hoisting herself out of the pool. “I haven’t blitzed in forever.”

 

“Sure. We’ll need a fourth, though,” Ravus said, looking up at the sphere. “Looks like there’s someone already in there. Perhaps they wouldn’t mind us joining.”

 

The elevator in the aquatics center brought them up four stories to a platform that stood next to the widest point on the sphere. From there, it would be easy to simply dive in. The water of the sphere, invigorated with pyreflies, would keep them comfortable, without want for air. Ignis was still unsure of the physics of it all, but he couldn’t complain.

 

As they stepped out onto the platform with Luna in tow, they got a better view of the figure within the water. Tanned, tattooed skin rippled over muscles as the man inside swam laps around the circumference of the sphere. He looked like he was built for the water. Out of the corner of his eye, Ignis could see Crowe watching the man with piqued interest.

 

“I hope he’s in the mood for a game,” she said, absentmindedly. She leaned forward to stick her head into the pool and waved at the man swimming inside.

 

The man emerged from the water, leaping out gracefully onto the platform. He _was_ tall- Crowe barely stood tall enough to reach his pectoral, nevermind Luna, who watched on with wide eyes- and his amber eyes flickered with amusement as he smiled at the brunette.

 

“Hi. Can I help you?” He asked, his low, rich, voice slightly playful.

 

“We were hoping to play but we only have three,” Crowe said. “Do you wanna join us?”

 

The man’s smile twisted into a broad grin. “Not sure if you wanna play with me.”

 

Crowe’s eyes narrowed as she grinned devilishly at him. “Pretty sure we do.”

 

He shrugged. “Alright then. But only if you’re on my team. What’s your name?”

 

Crowe stood next to him, leaving Ignis and Ravus to partner up. “Crowe,” she said, smiling up at him. “And those two are Ignis and Ravus.”

 

“Gladio,” the amber-eyed man said with a smile. “Let’s go.”

 

“What do you say?” Ravus said. “Think we can beat them?”

 

Ignis chuckled. “I’m afraid I may be a detriment to the cause, but I’ll try my best.”

 

Ravus clapped him on the shoulder before diving into the sphere. Ignis took two deep breaths- one to steady himself after watching Ravus’ lithe form dive into the pool, and one merely for the oxygen- before diving in himself. The water was warm and caressed his body. It was easy to move and glide through it effortlessly. Ignis took a few strokes to acclimate himself- it was easy to get mixed up in the cornerless orb of water- and to enjoy the sensation of being in the water for so long without craving oxygen.

 

The game seemed rather easy at first. It _was_ similar to rugby. Crowe and Ravus were like sharks, swimming and colliding, trying their best to take the ball from each other, while Ignis and Gladio watched from the sidelines. They both seemed eager to prove themselves- to whom, rather, was the question.

 

Ignis became intimidated, however, as soon as Crowe passed Gladio the ball. He moved like a tank through the water, Ravus bouncing off his muscular shoulder as he tried to tackle him and grab the ball. Ignis was happy he and Ravus were on the same team; after earlier, after _seeing him_ and enjoying it far more than he should have, Ignis didn’t think he would’ve been able to handle so much physical contact with the man.

 

It was obvious that the struggle to best their new friend, who was turning out to be a _fantastic_ blitzball player, was frustrating Ravus. He’d popped out of the sphere once to yell at Ignis about flanking, whatever the hell _that_ meant, only to dive back in and latch onto Gladio’s back like a starfish. The tattooed man seemed unfazed. Though Ravus was taller, Gladio had sheer weight on him, weight that was wrought in broad, muscular shoulders.

 

Ravus let out a flurry of furious bubbles after Crowe and Gladio scored their fifth goal against them and high-fived. Gladio threw the ball to Ravus to serve. Ignis swam below him as Ravus dropped it- maybe he was _finally_ getting the hang of this sport- and kicked off toward the goal. With a fast-approaching Crowe hurtling toward him, Ignis tossed it back to Ravus, who made an angry face at him.

 

As Gladio tackled Ravus, it all happened far too quickly, and before Ignis knew what was happening, the broad, spiked surface of the blitzball made contact with his left eye socket and the bridge of his nose. Ignis could taste copper in the water and opened his eyes to a cloud of pink surrounding his face. A broad hand closed on his bicep and yanked him out of the pool.

 

“You okay?”

 

“Lu, grab the medical kit?”

 

“On it.”

 

“Shit.”

 

Ignis felt dazed, almost, as he lay down on Luna’s soft towel she’d been using as a seat to watch them play. He could feel the warm gush of blood seep from his nose and down his face; he tried to reach for it and pressed his hand to his cheek in hopes of preventing it from staining Luna’s perfectly white towel.

  
“Don’t worry about it, Ignis,” Luna said softly as she handed him a pad of gauze to hold to the bottom of his nose, “it’s just a towel.”

 

“But-” Ignis began, but Luna shushed him as Crowe pressed a cold compress to his face.

 

“You’re gonna get a terrible shiner,” Crowe said, lifting the compress to look at Ignis’ face. “Ravus nailed you with that blitzball _good_.”

 

Ignis’ eyes flitted from Crowe’s concerned face to Ravus. The man was standing, looming over the odd foursome. No one had seemed to notice the ivory-haired man and the large shadow his grim face cast over the group. Ignis had never seen anything but neutrality or mild disgust on the man’s face, save for anger.

 

Now, he seemed nearly inconsolable. A pale lip was rolled between his teeth and fair eyebrows were knit in concern as he stared back at Ignis. The look went straight to Ignis’ gut; he wanted to pacify him, forgive him for the accident, but by the time he opened his mouth to speak, Ravus was already crossing the platform to the elevator.

 

“Ray! Where are you going?” Crowe yelled.

 

“I have to go,” was all he snapped before he stepped onto the elevator and disappeared.


	4. Dance To This (Interlude: Nyxnoct)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nyx and Noctis enjoy a night out for Nyx's birthday. And a night in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have so many beloved rarepair side ships in this fic, we decided to celebrate one of them every couple of chapters. Next chapter will be back to regularly scheduled slow burn Fleurentia. ;) We hope you enjoy!

Umbra trailed himself between Luna’s legs as she carried popcorn into the living room. Crowe and Pryna were already snuggled into a corner of the enormous couch, and after Luna sat, Umbra sat, too, directly on her feet. She smiled, scratched his ears, and grabbed the remote. 

“This is a good one; I think you two will like it.” She relaxed into Crowe’s body as Ignis folded himself into the other corner of the couch. It was worn, but quite good for its intended purpose.

Crowe laughed and poked Luna a little. “What is it with you and watching the same movie forty-seven times? Once I’ve seen it, I’ve seen it. What about you, Ignis? You got any old favorites?” She shoveled popcorn into her open mouth.

Ignis grinned, reaching for some himself. “I’m usually the same, but I do have a few favorites. I haven’t seen this one, though.” Luna dimmed the lights using the remote, which Ignis was vaguely impressed with. As the movie began, Ignis settled his glasses carefully over his still tender and bruised face. He wrinkled his nose a little in discomfort, and then remembered something.

“Wasn’t Noctis going to come over? With his boyfriend? That coffee shop gentleman?”

Luna laughed. “I think you’re the only person I’ve ever met who’s called Nyx a gentleman. They were planning it, but I forgot it’s his birthday - Noctis is taking him out.”

Ignis nodded, and settled back into the couch as the movie began, patting Pryna absently as she nosed him for attention.

* * *

Noctis’ jeans had shrunk in the dryer, obviously, as he tried to pull them on. The denim stretched against his slender hips as he yanked them up - he hadn’t gained weight, he  _ knew _ that - and he heard a pop and a tear as one of the worn spots on the front split open. It wasn’t as if these jeans didn’t  _ already _ have holes in them, they had plenty, but just the fact that this was even happening made his heart thud nervously.

Socializing was not Noct’s thing. Never had been, never would be. How he even managed to score Nyx, who was ridiculously hot and friendly to boot, was an enigma he was still trying to figure out. So when he found out his beloved boyfriend’s birthday was that weekend, he knew he had to pull out all the stops. Go all out.

Literally, go out. He would have to leave the sanctity of his apartment and his messy room  so he could take Nyx bar hopping for his birthday.

“Are you almost ready?” Nyx yelled through the door.

“One sec, jeez,” Noct replied, his anxiety evident in his biting tone. He winced as the words left his lips. Snapping at his boyfriend, on his fucking birthday, was not a great move.

Thankfully, the boots he’d chosen for that evening had a big zipper up the calf, making it easy for Noct to slip them on. The height of the soles was kind of ridiculous, but Noct had justified the height boost by claiming that since Nyx was so tall, he could easily wear them without looking like a towering giant. He tested his balance in the platform, black leather boots, and found that they were surprisingly easy to walk in.

The way they made his legs look was just an added bonus.

Noct swallowed down the knot in his throat as he looked in the mirror. His hair was a mess and always would be, there was no point in fighting it, but his ensemble had the desired effect. Nyx’s old, threadbare, black tank top billowed around his skinny body, but the skintight jeans and knee high boots did wonders. Perfect. He grabbed his favorite black beanie and tried to slip out of the bedroom as quietly as he could.

Nyx heard the door open and peeked around it. “You okay? I told you, we don’t have to go out if you don’t want to; it’s not that big of a - “

Noctis emerged fully from the room, and Nyx caught a flash of those vivid blue eyes behind strands of falling hair. Nyx traced his gaze down, looking at the pale shoulder nearly shrugging out of a loose tank - was that his? The skintight, artfully ripped jeans, and those boots.  _ Shiva, Bahamut, and Ifrit _ . 

“Uh, not that big of a deal. Babe, you look - really good.” Nyx swallowed, for once thrown off his usual easygoing vibe. He took two steps over and slid a hand around one of those gorgeous hips, pulling Noctis close to him and whispering in his ear. “Happy fuckin’ birthday to me, man. We don’t have to go out, is what I was trying to say. We could absolutely stay in.”

Noctis blinked up at him, slowly, grinning a little. “I went to all the trouble to get these pants on. We’re going out. Plus, it’s your birthday - it should be special.”

Nyx laughed and then kissed him fully on the lips. “Whatever you want.” He breathed in a little and ran fingers through some of the strands of hair falling outside Noctis’ hat. “I win either way. Lead the way, beautiful.”

Noctis took the liberty of pulling Nyx just a little closer, brushing their hips together teasingly before kissing him. “Hope you’re ready to dance,” he whispered, before letting his boyfriend go and walking away towards the front door. He only hoped that Nyx would appreciate the wide swing of his hips and forget about his anxiety as he looked over his shoulder and flashed him a smile. 

The first bar they went to was a little dance club near the university. Noctis only knew about it because of the STEM mixer he’d attended a few weeks ago. He had initially been repelled by the building, which stood among its neighbors and blended in rather easily. It made up for its boring, outward appearance with the insanity within its core. Starscourge was a very popular bar among students and he knew for a fact they had a dance floor in the back.

They flashed their IDs at the door, and then Noct grabbed Nyx’s hand and pulled him through the crowd straight to the back room. The lights pulsed and flashed with the heavy bass of the synth music and Noct couldn’t help but be in awe of the undulating, tangled bodies on the dance floor moving with the music. Snapping back to reality, he pulled Nyx over to the bar, where Noctis hopped on a vacant stool and smiled at the blonde bartender.

“Hey guys! What’s your poison?” Prompto propped his elbows on the bar and grinned at them both. A glint of pink light caught off the row of silver piercings lining his earlobe. 

Noctis thought for a moment, and Nyx grinned at him.  “While he’s deciding, I’ll have an Insomnian Pale Ale, please.” Prompto nodded and pulled the cap off before handing it to him. 

Nyx glanced up at the specials, and noticed a Violet Galaxy. “Hey, that looks like that fruity shit you like.” He pointed, and Noctis scowled, but looked at the description with interest.

“Came up with that one myself. It’s good!” Prompto perked up at the attention they were giving his new menu item. “Let me try it out on you.”

Noctis laughed quietly. “Okay, okay.” He watched Nyx lean against the bar while Prompto got to work mixing the drink. Nyx noticed him looking, and gave him another one of those dimpled, sideways grins that he knew would draw his boyfriend out onto the dance floor. 

“You guys are busy tonight.” Nyx had to yell over the music and the crowd, and Prompto nodded. “Must be killing it on tips.”

Prompto nodded, setting a swirled purple-and-blue drink in front of Noctis. “That’s helping, along with my considerable charm.”

Nyx laughed, and turned around to move closer to Noctis. “Don’t bullshit a bullshitter, Prom.”

The music continued to thump through the middle of his chest, and Nyx felt himself relax. He enjoyed it and avoided the impulse to text Dino, who he’d left in charge of closing down Selena’s for the night. He watched Noctis sip at his drink, giving raised eyebrows and a thumbs-up to Prompto, who nodded, dancing lightly behind the bar.  

“Can I taste that?” Nyx leaned over close, so Noctis could hear him.

Questioning, Noctis held up the glass and said, “Sure,” but instead of drinking from it, Nyx leaned forward and touched their lips together, licking lightly before pulling away.

“Pretty good.”

Noctis was thankful for the flashing strobe and multicolor lights that surely hid the blush that had grown on his cheeks. He and Nyx had been dating for awhile now, but he still found himself swooning over the charming older man that had wormed his way into his heart. The kiss, while short and teasing, gave him a little confidence boost. Nyx was here with  _ him _ , and surely was having a good time if he was going to kiss him like that.

“Wanna dance?” Noct yelled over the music as he squirmed on the barstool in a mix of excitement and anxiousness.

Nyx nodded eagerly as a wolfish grin spread across his face; Noctis pushed their drinks back on the bar, where Prompto grabbed them and set them below the counter for safekeeping. Nyx had barely thanked him before Noct grabbed him by the hand and dragged him out onto the dance floor.

The song changed to something heavy and electronic; the deep pulse of the bass, the chime of the melody, it all swirled together in the air, inundating Noct’s senses and dulling the whispering voices in his brain that were very insistent that he was a nerd with no idea how to dance. He might not, sure, but the music seemed to carry him to the center of the dance floor where Noctis slipped his arms around his boyfriend’s neck and swayed his hips to the beat energetically.

“This good?” he shouted over the music, as he brushed his hips against Nyx’s.

Nyx nodded, and pulled Noctis a little closer. “Real good. I’m dancing with the hottest guy here.” He tried to keep his roving hands within some kind of boundary of propriety, but it was tough. Noct had an ethereal, effortless grace about him, and the way the light caught his delicate features, the way he looked at Nyx full of trust and a little bit (okay maybe a lot) of innocent seduction, that fucking outfit - it was driving Nyx to distraction.

Their hips moved together, and Nyx lost himself in the beat and in the gorgeous man who’d brought him. Music, as it happened, was one of the first things they’d shared - Nyx had noticed that Noctis always wore those giant headphones and had commented on it. Now, they would often share days full of immersively loud melodies, bouncing through the apartment cleaning it, or taking care of tasks independently, but always connected by the sounds weaving them together. There were other moments, too, that they’d shared together, surrounded by the music they loved, and those private moments rose to the forefront of Nyx’s mind now. He ran a hand up Noctis’ arm and smiled down at him. He knew this wasn’t Noctis’ favorite way to spend an evening, by any means, but he was going to make damn sure that Noctis had a good time tonight.

Nyx decided to trust himself with one kiss - just one - and touched his lips lightly to Noctis’ jaw. 

Noctis grinned at the subtle kiss Nyx had placed on his jawline and tipped his head to grant him easier access to the pale, sensitive skin. The kiss was gentle and innocent, but the heavy breath that escaped Nyx’s lips was anything but; it fell hot across Noct’s cool skin, eliciting a slight tremble that travelled down his spine.

The music dropped, the bass thudded, and Noct was suddenly feeling bold. He turned away from Nyx only to press his backside against Nyx’s front, grab his hands, and hold them tight against his hips as he started to move. He bit his lip as anxiety began to battle his boldness again; was Nyx enjoying this? Did he even like to dance? Maybe he just liked to people-watch when he came to places like this.

Nyx could feel his heart speed up, and when Noctis bit his lip, Nyx was done for. He let Noctis lean against him for a moment, but couldn’t resist another kiss, this one lingering. 

The beads worked into Nyx’s braids were cool to the touch as Noctis reached back, cupping the back of Nyx’s head in his hand, coaxing his boyfriend in to a deeper kiss. This kiss mirrored the laborious breath that matched it as lips and tongue worked their way over the column of his neck. Noct hoped the slight sheen of sweat that had formed there wasn’t too nasty; he knew from many endless nights they’d shared that a little sweat was never a bad thing.

His confidence was fading fast and Noctis tried his best to ignore it as he tipped his head back against Nyx’s chest and moved to the music the best he could with strong arms draped over his shoulders.

Nyx had popped an eyebrow as Noctis turned around and started to writhe against him. Not his usual speed to be so showy, but that was probably a good thing, because Nyx began to realize that if he could just watch Noctis dance for the rest of his life, he’d die a happy man. He fanned his fingers out over Noctis’ hips and swayed with him, letting him lead the movement, just enjoying the touch of their bodies against each other. 

Nyx had spent years - probably more years than he’d like to admit - enjoying the crush and the vibe and the shared experience of loud, packed clubs. Something about being in a large crowd like that let him forget who he was for a moment and just be, present but also lost in the music. 

But this? The same easy pull of the beat, but along with this beautiful man who was for some reason happy to allow Nyx to dance close to him, to feel the muscles move below the tight denim, to feel the warmth of him through the thin shirt he wore, to be the one to take him home at the end of the night? Infinitely better.

“Nyx,” Noctis whispered. He knew his boyfriend couldn’t hear him over the raucous club music that enveloped them like a heavy blanket, drowning out the rest of the club and isolating them under the glittering lights. He followed the word with a movement of his hips, grinding himself against Nyx.

He stepped away, only to turn back around and lean against Nyx. The height of his boots made it easy for Noct to lift up on his tiptoes and meet Nyx’s eye level. He smiled shyly at the hungry gaze he met there, enjoying the evident want painted across his lover’s face.

Nyx met Noctis’ eyes, enjoying his added height. He watched Noctis’ slight insecurity give way to playfulness, and pressed back against him, sliding his hands around Noctis’ hips again. He moved his own hips as the beat changed, pulling Noctis with him. 

Noctis let out a sigh that Nyx felt more than heard, and it felt contented and heated at once. Noctis draped his arms lazily over Nyx’s shoulders, and Nyx was drawn again to his pale neck; the slight sweatiness of it was intoxicating. Nyx meant to be appropriate - he  _ did _ \- but he also knew well that no one would see if he nipped and licked just a little before pulling back, breathless. 

A little whine slipped from his lips as Nyx nipped at his neck- his lips were  _ right _ next to Nyx’s ear, he knew he could hear him whimper, and the idea of Nyx listening to his sounds while they were dancing, surrounded by people, turned him on more than he thought it would. 

Nyx laced his fingers through Noctis’ and gave him another grin. “Sit down for a bit? Not sure I can keep my hands off you tonight.”

Noctis was almost glad when Nyx pulled away and took him by the hand. It grounded him, the way those rough palms glided against his own as his boyfriend led him away from the dance floor.

He smiled devilishly at Nyx as he sat on his barstool once again. This time, Noctis sat at its edge, letting his legs dangle from it as he spread his hips wide enough for Nyx to slot between them. Prompto was already there, placing their drinks on the counter for them to resume drinking.

“Didn’t know you could actually dance,” Noctis teased as he slipped his straw between his lips.

Nyx sidled close and shrugged. “Just following your lead, beautiful.” He took a long sip of his beer, watching Noctis absently fiddle the straw of his own drink between his lips. Noctis gazed back toward the dance floor, and the way his eyes caught the light shot through Nyx’s chest. Sure, he was impossibly sexy, but Noctis was out tonight, in an unfamiliar environment, just to try to make Nyx happy. He was exploring it, and enjoying it, and maybe even having a good time. 

“You’re fun.” Nyx’s tone was affectionate. He slid a hand onto Noctis’ thigh, doing his best to keep it warm and comforting, instead of stoking the heat they’d been creating as they danced. Enough time for that later, right? He looked down, and Noctis had set his drink down. He was watching the dancers again and fidgeting with the belt loop at Nyx’s back - he probably hadn’t even realized he was doing it. 

“I can see why the students dig this place.” 

Nyx broke Noctis’ little reverie, and he startled slightly, then blushed and looked down for a moment. “Sorry. Spaced.”

Nyx just smiled at his boyfriend again, and they settled into companionable silence, enjoying their drinks and swaying slightly to the thudding beat of the music. 

Grateful for the thoughtful silence, Noctis laced the fingers of his free hand with Nyx’s, running his thumb over his boyfriend’s knuckles as he watched the crowd move with the beat. As much as he hated leaving the house, getting out into the open with a bunch of strangers, he kind of liked this. He enjoyed the anonymity of it all, sitting back, enjoying the strange sights and sounds as well as the way the liquor seeped into his brain, making his skull tingle.

It was even better with Nyx at his side. He brought Noctis peace in this odd environment. Just knowing they were there together pacified the hum of uncertainty that always brimmed below the surface. The gentle caress of Nyx’s fingers against his made him smile.

With the last slurp of his fruity drink, Noctis slapped a twenty down on the counter and told Prompto to keep the extra. “Wanna get out of here?” he asked Nyx as he leaned forward to press his lips against the hollow of Nyx’s throat.

“Fuck, yes,” Nyx said huskily, wasting no time to take Noctis by the hand again and lead him out of the club. The walk home was brisk; it had been hours since they’d seen the warm rays of the sun, and the night air was freezing against Noct’s bare skin. Nyx must have known how cold he was, because as he wrapped an arm around his shoulders and held him tight against his side as they walked.

He was grateful once they’d reached Nyx’s place. Thankfully, it wasn’t far from Starscourge or Selena’s for that matter; Noct knew that Nyx liked to be close to his pride and joy. As the door clicked shut behind them and the lock clunked into place, Noctis felt that familiar apprehension growing. They’d built up so much at the club - what if the energy was gone? What if he was just plain awkward like he always felt?

He shook his head, begging the thoughts to step aside, as he smiled at Nyx. “Have fun?” he asked.

“Absolutely.” Nyx smiled down at him. He grew serious for a moment. “Although, now that I know you can move like that, I might be annoying about going out more often.” Another grin accompanied the words, and Nyx gripped Noctis’ hand and pulled him toward the couch. 

“Not gonna lie, though, it’s been a long day. Lookin’ forward to relaxing, too. With you.” He beckoned for Noctis to sit beside him, and smoothed fingers across his cheek before pressing a chaste kiss to the corner of his mouth. He sighed. “No one should have to work on their birthday.” 

Nyx had picked up on Noctis’ uneasiness, but didn’t mention it, just spread his hand over Noctis’ knee easily. He took out his phone and music poured forth from the speakers - softer and less throbbing than the music in the club. Their music. Nyx was happy to just sit here, relaxing into his boyfriend, for hours, and he knew Noctis knew it.  He slung a hand around Noct’s shoulders and pushed fingers up into Noctis’ hair, gently, ignoring his scoff at ruining his wild hairstyle. 

Nyx sighed again, this time happily. “You look good under neon lights, you know? I mean, you look amazing anyway, but…” he trailed off a little as he looked at Noctis again with slow appreciation. “Anyway. You’re a good present.” He settled back, curling into Noctis with a satisfied chuckle.

“Stop,” Noctis whined, though his smile betrayed his delight at Nyx’s words. He effortlessly swung his legs over Nyx’s hips, allowing his legs to drape lazily across his lap as Noct eased himself into a familiar, comfortable position. Nyx’s head slotted perfectly against his chest, tucked under his chin, where Noct could smell the faint bitterness of freshly ground coffee amongst his brunette locks. “You smell like coffee,” he chuckled, as he buried his nose in his hair.

Noctis toyed with the hem of Nyx’s shirt and its frayed edges, slipping his fingers underneath to feel his boyfriend’s warm skin. “You looked good, too. Felt good to dance with you,” he murmured as he felt a blush creep over his cheeks. “Really good.”

Nyx hummed at the touch of Noctis’ fingers, angling his head up and back to look at the sweet flush on Noctis’ face. “Yeah, you seemed to be having a good time.” He reached his hand up to cup Noctis’ cheek and pull him down for a kiss. Nyx let Noctis take the lead, parting his lips eagerly as Noctis deepened the kiss. They’d spent several evenings just like this, making out like teenagers, and Nyx never tired of the soft touch of Noctis’ tongue or the sweet taste of his mouth. 

Those hands creeping under his shirt, though - those hands seemed to have other ideas. Nyx didn’t think he was the only one remembering the heat between them out on the dance floor, as a soft sigh slipped out from between their lips. Noctis shifted behind him, and Nyx’s lips curved into a knowing grin. Carefully, he turned, breaking their kiss long enough to flip over and place his hands on the arm of the couch. 

“Ah,” Noctis gasped against Nyx’s lips as the larger man flipped them on the couch. He squirmed with arousal against the weight of Nyx’s body between his hips, the friction of denim against denim. 

Nyx took a moment to catch Noctis’ eyes before closing his own and leaning down again. Soft lips, warm breaths, they were all intoxicating - much more than the single beer he’d had earlier. Noct still tasted a little sugary sweet from that cocktail, but mostly just familiar. Damn if it didn’t make him think of that first shy kiss on Noctis’ doorstep every single time.

Arms szaked their way around him, and the lean body underneath writhed just a little - slightly reminiscent of those dance floor moves, but a little more instinctive, a little less planned. Unintentional, and Nyx tingled in response. He licked into Noctis’ mouth again, wanting a repeat. 

His boyfriend’s eagerness wasn’t lost on him; Noctis slipped his tongue into Nyx’s mouth to play with his eager tongue and tangled his fingers in his hair. He retreated quickly, only to kiss along his scruffy jaw and down his neck before sinking his teeth into the tattooed flesh.

Noctis hadn’t been the only one who had broken a sweat on the dance floor. The salty flavor of Nyx’s skin mixed with his usual heady musk that Noct adored. He savored the taste of his skin against his tongue as he laved and sucked, kneading with his teeth to form a pretty little bruise.

“Gods, you taste so fucking good, Nyx,” Noctis groaned, clinging tighter to his form as it loomed above him. Where Noctis was lean and petite, Nyx was broad and strong. The contrast between the two was something Noctis had always appreciated, always enjoyed; the safety he found in those arms made it so easy to get lost there, to be himself, and Nyx had always seemed to encourage that. Damn if Noctis didn’t love him for it.

Noctis’ kisses were hot against his jaw, and the small noise he’d made into Nyx’s mouth made heat pool in his belly. The feel of lips and tongue against his neck made Nyx tip his head, allowing Noctis better access, and the sharp little smart of pain on his skin fired a sudden sense of urgency. He slid both hands up under the tank that draped over Noctis, making quick eye contact with him before slipping it off.

Moonlight caught against pale skin, and soft strains of music accompanied the strokes of Nyx’s fingertips across the beautiful planes of Noctis’ body. Nyx bent his head again to place a soft kiss on his boyfriend’s lips, spreading warm palms across his chest. As his fingers grazed lightly over a nipple, Noctis writhed again, and Nyx grinned. 

Kisses moved down over collarbone, pectoral, to the tensing surface of Noctis’ stomach. Nyx picked his head up again, looking for Noct’s eyes in the dim light. “You’re so beautiful.” The words were calm and reassuring, but carried a faint hint of wonder, as always.

Nyx’s hands coursed up and down Noctis’ skin, looking to draw some more of those delightful squirms and sounds from him. He watched as Noctis’ hips surged up toward him, followed by a breathy little laugh.“Somebody’s eager.” Nyx murmured the words, still busy worshiping the pale body beneath him.

“You’re one to talk.”

Nyx supposed he was right; his own pants had grown impossibly tight.  

Though Noctis’ words were teasing, his tone had grown high-pitched and needy as he undulated against Nyx; the cotton of Nyx’s t-shirt was soft but abrasive against the tender skin below his navel. He threaded his fingers through Nyx’s hair, gently grasping it as he pulled Nyx’s mouth down harder against his chest. A salacious chuckle rippled through his boyfriend’s throat, vibrating against the teeth pressing on his firm bud and making Noctis buck up against the body grinding against him.

“Nyx,” Noct groaned, “lemme take your pants off.”

“Sure thing, gorgeous,” Nyx said, sitting back so Noctis could clamber to his feet.

He had forgotten he was still wearing his platform boots. The metal of the buckles jingled as Noctis stood over Nyx, hinging at the hip to bend over and unbutton his jeans. Noct paused to kiss and lick his way up his boyfriend’s torso, eagerly meeting his mouth with a passionate kiss. He smiled as Nyx leaned into it, sliding his palms down the pale skin of Noct’s back and down his pants.

“Not yet,” Noct teased, stepping back so Nyx couldn’t reach him but could still touch his face and shoulders. He knelt at Nyx’s feet, slipping his fingers into the waistband of his jeans and underwear before shimmying them down his hips, laying him bare and naked against the black leather of his couch.

Noctis groaned at the sight, at Nyx and his unabashed beauty sitting, waiting patiently, just for him. The hardness standing proudly between his legs was reddened and swollen; Noct reached out for it, barely ghosting his fingertips over its underside and smiling as it jumped at the touch.

“Yep, I’d say  _ you’re _ the eager one,” Noctis said, his voice nearly purring, as he dragged his fingertips back down the underside and over his balls.

Nyx let out a low grunt, burning his gaze into Noctis’ as he continued his light touches. His cock jumped again, leaking a little, and Nyx bit his lip. With an effort, he sat back and let Noctis continue his little game. 

“You’re not wrong.” The words came out in a tight gasp as Noctis wrapped cool fingers around him, all shyness gone in his sure grasp. Nyx cursed quietly and pulled Noctis’ lips down to his again, reflexively standing up a little only to be pushed down again by a light but insistent hand on his shoulder.

“Not yet.” The teasing rasp was followed by the light touch of the very tip of Noctis’ tongue, deftly flicking the bead of precome from the slit of Nyx’s cock, and then no more.

Nyx dropped his head back and groaned. “Gods, you are gonna kill me, but what a way to go.” 

Noctis laid Nyx’s cock against his cheek and blinked up at him. “Aw, come on, you’re tougher than that, I hope.” 

Nyx opened his mouth for a snappy comeback, but it was lost in the overpowering sensation of Noctis’ tongue as he licked up the bottom of Nyx’s shaft and popped the head into his mouth with long-practiced ease.

“You’re a little shit and I fucking love you.”

Noct looked into Nyx’s eyes as he spoke; though the words were teasing and filthy, his slate blue eyes were soft and wanting, his lips parted with anticipation of the pleasure. It made Noct’s cock twitch in the tight confines of his pants. Rather than release Nyx’s cock from his mouth, he slid his lips down his shaft until they were pressed against the base and he hummed in response with the corners of his lips turned in an attempt at a smile.

He had to rest his arms on the tops of Nyx’s hips to keep him from thrusting up, deep into his throat while Noct hummed again and swallowed around the tip. He loved working Nyx up like this, adored the way he seemed to get lost in the pleasure he wrought upon his body. It was his favorite way to tease him, to work Nyx up until he was begging for more.

Releasing his erection from his mouth with a pop, a thick strand of saliva still connected Noct’s lips to its tip. He smiled with swollen lips and watering eyes before easing his lips down onto the tip again and swirling his tongue around its slit. Nyx was shaking now; he could feel his body vibrating under his forearms and Noct massaged little circles into his hips with his thumbs affectionately.

Between the way Noctis looked and the way the slick wetness of his mouth felt, Nyx was nearly lost in pleasure. He forced himself to focus, and brushed Noctis’ hair back gently; when he lifted his mouth, Nyx reached up and kissed him, tasting his own bitter tang on his lover’s tongue.

In a blissful haze, Nyx murmured against Noctis’ lips. “Wanna make you feel good too.” He snaked a hand down to the hardness pressing against the front of Noct’s jeans and squeezed. He watched with heavy-lidded eyes as Noctis hissed through his teeth. 

Nyx growled a little in response and fiddled with the button on Noctis’ jeans. He pulled down the zipper and Noctis followed him with his eyes, making a pleasant little shiver run down Nyx’s spine. Noctis pushed forward into Nyx’s hand, and Nyx slid both hands into Noctis’ pants again, pushing them down, and frowning when they stopped after just a few inches.

“Six, how did you get these  _ on _ ?” Nyx let out a breathy laugh. Noctis just shrugged and blushed, and Nyx continued. He slid both hands back around to the front, peeling the pants off enough to free Noctis’ cock. He admired its smooth beauty for a moment before capturing it in his fist, flicking his gaze back up to Noctis’ face to watch a deeper flush rise. 

“There was -  _ shit, Nyx - _ a lot of jumping involved,” Noctis hissed through his teeth as Nyx stroked him. He hadn’t realized just how hard he’d gotten with those tight pants around his hips. Now that he was bare and hanging freely, the warm air of Nyx’s apartment and the sure, firm grip his boyfriend had on his erection was already making him hazy.

Nyx chuckled, his tone rich and heady, as Noctis met his grey eyes. They reminded him of the ocean on a foggy day; the color was rich and dark, but barely seen around the wide, black discs of his pupils. Noctis leaned over to touch Nyx’s cheek, to run his thumb over the little tattoo just underneath his eye before kissing him.

Noct’s breath caught in his throat as Nyx swiped his thumb over the tip again and again. Each stroke of his fist ended with a gentle squeeze around the head of his cock before sliding back down the shaft again and Noctis could feel himself begin to tremble as the heat built just below his belly button.

“You keep that up, I’m not gonna last,” he warned as he thrust his hips up into Nyx’s hand.

Nyx slowed, thoughtfully, and squeezed, enjoying the little tremor that ran through Noct’s body. He leaned forward again and buried his face in Noctis’ neck, breathing him in for a moment, and murmured, “I want you now more than I wanna wrestle with those fucking pants. Also,” he held Noctis back from him for a moment and dragged his eyes over the sight, skin pale and luminous against dark clothing and hair, “you ok leaving this stuff on? I like it.” He smoothed his hands down over the curve of his boyfriend’s ass, pulling him close again. 

Noctis nodded, shyly, and Nyx captured him for another quick, ferocious kiss before taking off in a naked sprint down the hall. He heard Noctis’ soft chuckle follow him, and realized he looked ridiculous, but there was no way his boyfriend was going to take more than a couple of steps, trapped as he was. 

That thought, in particular, spiked Nyx’s arousal again, and he trotted faster back from the bedroom. Noctis was fully laughing at this point, and Nyx just grinned at him. 

“You’re so cute.” Noctis’ tone was fond.

“I know.”

Noctis pulled Nyx to him, relaxed enough to assert himself a little, and wrapped Nyx’s hands around him again, sliding them down into the back of his pants. “Just so you don’t lose your place.”

“Yeah? I take it you were enjoying this.” Nyx nosed Noctis’ chin to the side to kiss his neck again as his hands squeezed, spreading Noctis just a little and teasing closer.

Nyx chuckled low in his throat at the needy little sound that slid out of Noctis. “You want me tonight? That can be arranged.” He circled one finger close to Noctis’ hole and when Noctis hissed and ground into him, he ground back, fumbling for the lube where he’d thrown it.

Rolling his lip between his teeth, Noctis dropped his head back to the couch cushions, breathing deeply as Nyx hunted down the lube. He was coming back down from teetering over the ledge; he’d gotten dangerously close before and needed that moment of clarity when Nyx had gone to get the lubricant. A snap of a cap and Nyx’s happy hum as he spread the fluid over his fingers brought Noctis back to reality and the raven-haired man couldn’t help but smile at his boyfriend’s impish grin.

“Sorry you couldn’t finish unwrapping your gift,” Noctis teased, wiggling his captured hips in his pants.

“I’ll take this present any way I can get it, gorgeous,” Nyx replied, kissing Noctis and teasing with his tongue as his warm, wet finger pressed against Noct’s entrance. 

Noctis groaned as he spread his hips as wide as he could. The denim was tight around his legs, ensnaring him in the unforgiving fabric. Nyx grasped at his flesh, pulling him apart and spreading him before sinking a digit deep within him. The fact that he was trapped between the couch and his jeans, with Nyx boring into him slow and steady, made him quiver with anticipation.

“Good?” Nyx asked, peppering the back of Noctis’ neck with kisses.

“ _ Great _ .”

They both smiled softly, quiet laughs escaping their lips, as Nyx sunk another finger inside him. The calloused fingers stroked and rubbed, gently stretching him as they probed within him. One careful stroke slipped against the bundle of nerves inside and Noctis arched his back into the touch with a moan.

Nyx throbbed, feeling himself grow almost painfully hard at the sights and sounds of how beautiful Noctis was, thrilling under his hands. He moved close to Noctis’ ear, continuing to gently slide his fingers and scissor them a little.

“You ready?” His voice was soft, just a little more than a breath. Noctis’ answer was just a vigorous shake of his head.

Nyx retreated just for a moment, unwrapping the condom with slightly shaky hands, and unrolled it over himself. His eyes flicked up to meet midnight-blue ones watching him hungrily, and when the tip of Noct’s pink tongue crept out to moisten his lower lip in anticipation, he groaned.

“Goddamn, you’re fucking lethal, you know that?” Nyx called on all his available dexterity to slick himself up while reaching out to kiss Noctis again at the same time. 

He pulled Noctis to him, having to use a little muscle to yank his jeans the rest of the way down. The little gasp that drew from Noctis was not lost on Nyx. He returned his fingers to the cleft of Noct’s ass, massaging a little more before guiding himself inside.

“Shit.” Nyx paused as he felt himself slip past the tight, muscled ring - partly to give Noctis time to adjust, partly to keep himself in check. After a couple of deep, shuddering breaths from them both, he let himself slide a little more, slowly, until he was fully seated inside.

Sliding his hand between the couch and Noctis’ chest, Nyx pulled himself close. “You feel so good, babe.” The scrunched-up denim scraped roughly against Nyx’s thighs, and he heard a faint jingle from the belt that Noctis had left dangling. He was definitely taller in these boots, making the angle just a little different that what they were used to.

Noctis sunk his chest a little deeper into Nyx’s hold as he grasped the aging leather of the couch in his fists. Still buried to the hilt inside him, his boyfriend kissed his neck and shoulders as his hand found its way to Noct’s cock and cradled it gently. Nyx stroked him teasingly as he gently canted his hips, barely sliding into Noct’s tight heat.

“Nyx, gods, just  _ move _ ,” Noctis groaned. He could barely squirm with his jeans around his hips like this; all he could do was rock his body against Nyx’s to create a delightful friction that wasn’t nearly enough. He wanted more, wanted Nyx to thrust into him with abandon and give them the release that he knew they both longed for at this point.

Nyx rocked his hips into Noctis in short little thrusts, drawing little moans from both of their lips. The brusque snap of his hips sent little shockwaves of pleasure shooting up Noctis’ spine, urging him to sink his fingernails into the leather and hold on tight. Nyx’s hands roved over Noct’s chest, pinching and twisting the hard peaks of his nipples as his thrusts grew longer and more languorous.

“Please,” Noct whimpered, bending over further, pressing his body deep into the couch and changing the angle of Nyx’s thrusts. The next one drove the head of Nyx’s cock straight into his prostate and Noctis cried out with pleasure.

Noctis’ cry shot straight through Nyx’s core, and his restraint snapped. Long strokes became desperate, urgent thrusts, and he could feel a tingling wave rising, even as Noctis’ body writhed and pushed back against him, wordlessly echoing his earlier plea for more. He snaked a hand back down to work Noctis’ cock again, feeling the strain of his hips as Noct thrust into his hand. 

Sweaty skin slipped against the smooth surface of the couch and Nyx could feel the telltale gasps and shudders beneath him. He pressed his thumb along the spot just behind the head that he knew Noctis loved, and felt the responding clench around his own straining length.

Nyx murmured soft encouragement into Noctis’ neck as he felt his muscles tense erratically underneath him. His own breath was stuttering; he wasn’t far behind. Noctis reached a hand back and squeezed Nyx’s thigh, hard.

“Nyx, m’close,” Noctis whined, arching his back into Nyx’s body, pushing his erection even further inside of him, chasing the impending pleasure.

“Noctis, Noct, baby, please -”

It was with a strangled moan that Noctis came into Nyx’s hand, his release spilling over his boyfriend’s fingers and onto the couch below him. He shuddered and trembled as Nyx thrust into him through his orgasm, chasing his own release, gripping a pale thigh with his free hand as he thrust hard and fast. Noctis reached back, pulling Nyx down for a fierce kiss as he felt him pulse within himself.

Nyx rested his forehead against the lean planes of Noct’s back, fingernails sinking into the reddened flesh of his thighs and breath falling hot against his sweat-soaked skin. The two remained joined at the hips as they came down from their highs, each subtle movement eliciting a tremble or a sharp inhale. Nyx stroked the supple skin of his stomach as he kissed between Noct’s shoulder blades.

“Happy birthday to me,” Nyx chuckled before pulling out and slipping off the condom.

Noctis could only laugh weakly as he flopped onto the couch, his legs dangling down the side, still ensnared in his pants. “Take my boots off?”

“Sure thing,” Nyx said, deftly unzipping the long, metal zippers on the back of Noct’s calves. “Damn, I love these boots. You’re gonna wear ‘em again, right?”

“Next time we go out, I’ll wear them,” Noct sighed, sitting up so Nyx could clean both him and the couch. “Or maybe I’ll just wear them to the shop. Sit there all day in these monsters.”

“You better fucking not,” Nyx laughed. He eased the boots off and smoothed a hand up Noctis’ calf. “I’d never get anything done.”

Noctis laid his head back and breathed deeply. “I dunno, tonight was pretty - productive.” He listened to the music that was still playing and laughed occasionally as Nyx slowly worked those impossible jeans down his legs and off his feet, letting out the occasional good-natured grumble.

Swinging braids tickled him as Nyx’s face reappeared above his to drop a quick, soft kiss on his lips. “Thanks for an amazing birthday. Bed?”

“Mmm, can I sleep right here?”

“No, you cannot. It is still my birthday, and I get to cuddle you.” Nyx’s tone was stern, in contrast to the arms that slid around Noctis with a soft touch.

“This is - you don’t have to carry me.” Noctis blushed, but enjoyed the feel of being weightless, encircled by the arms he loved.

“I don’t have to, but I want to. Gotta impress you with feats of strength every once in a while, right?”

Noctis just laughed, and nestled down into Nyx’s sheets, curling around his back. “G’night, babe. Love you.”

“Love you too.” The words were mumbled against the knuckles of their joined hands as they began to drift to sleep.


	5. Do I Look Lonely?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ignis and Ravus deal with the aftermath of the blitzball game, and everyone moves a little closer to the conference and the site visit.

Ravus was immersed in his work when he heard Ignis enter the lab, closing the door softly behind him. He flinched slightly, guiltily, and greeted Ignis quietly without turning around. At least he was here today - that must mean he wasn’t hurt too badly. Still, Ravus could hardly bring himself to examine the damage he’d inflicted. He felt terrible, but just picked up a stack of reports and handed them to Ignis gruffly. “I need your input on these. Please.”

Instead of returning to his desk, he decided to make use of the hideous couch against the wall. Ravus flopped, maybe a little dramatically, and sighed. It had been a shit weekend, and he was having a very difficult time finding even one thing he didn’t feel like garbage about. That thought, even, made him feel guilty as he realized that at least he hadn’t spent the weekend caring for a black eye. He looked over at Ignis, but his injury was on the side of his face angled away from Ravus. He wanted to ask about it, but ended up just pouting silently.

Ignis took the reports and glanced over their titles briefly. This wasn’t his expertise, but since they were working on the same project, he had to approve them anyway. Something about the context of the old texts and their use of language hinting at some societal hierarchies? It all went over his head. Ignis spoke chemistry and maths, not sociology and literature.

It all made the pulse come back in his eye as his head began to throb. He’d been nursing the headache since the injury; the impact of the blitzball and his face had given him a mild concussion. Crowe had checked him out, said he was fine, and then kept him up with hourly checks all night. He was tired _and_ hurting. Luna had offered to doctor his face up with her concealer, claiming they were a close enough skin tone, but Ignis had waved her off. He didn’t want to be reapplying all day.

Covering his face with his hand, he muttered, “When do you need these by?”

Ravus sat up a little and waved him over. “They’re different - some of them we need to turn in tomorrow but some are more long-term. Can you give me the stack back,” Ravus swallowed, “please?” He hadn’t missed Ignis’ tenderness around his injury, and it reminded him of his own idiocy.

Ignis sat, scoffing at the stonewashed fabric, and Ravus moved to take the papers from him and sort them by due date. The purplish-red bruise surrounding his eye was obvious now, and it caught Ravus’ eye and made his chest burn with shame. He laid the stack down next to him and leaned in close, taking a deep breath.

“I am so, so sorry about this.” His voice was quiet. “It looks very painful.” Tentatively, his fingers hovered close to Ignis’ battered cheekbone. “Can I -”

Ignis for once, was grateful for the bruise over his eye and cheek, as it hid the mild blush that grew across his face. Nodding, he said quietly, “Just… don’t press your fingers on it, please. It’s quite sensitive.”

Angling his face toward Ravus, he turned his body to face his colleague. Sitting here with him was an odd juxtaposition to the way they’d behaved for the beginning of the semester. Ignis still wasn’t sure if they were friends yet, but he could at least say he no longer despised the man sitting next to him. Ignis watched as Ravus reached out with his slender, pale fingers.

Feather-light, Ravus touched his fingertips to Ignis’ cheek, turning his head just slightly and looking at the damage. It was awful; he felt terrible. With as long as he’d played blitzball, he should have known better than to try a pass of that force with a novice player - especially one who was unprepared for it. He’d clearly allowed his emotions to get the better of him during the match, and his - labmate? new acquaintance? were they friends? - had taken the brunt of it.

Ignis was watching him examine his face, and Ravus met his eyes for a long moment. He took a couple of shallow breaths, unable to break his gaze, and then quickly collected himself. Fingers trailed lightly down Ignis’ jaw and then Ravus snatched his hand back to his lap, cleared his throat, and moved his eyes back to the paperwork.

“Inexcusable. I do hope you recover quickly. I can - if you need a day off, you should take it.”

A gentle smile upturned Ignis’ lips. “It’s quite alright. Accidents happen. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

Ignis wanted to reach out, offer some kind of comforting touch in assurance to let the man know he hadn’t truly wronged him. “Don’t be ridiculous. It’s only a bruise. Admittedly, it’s rather unsightly-” he paused to touch one of the smarting, blackish spots where a particularly prominent spike on the blitzball had impaled his face. “-but it will heal with time.”

Pausing to think, Ignis found himself desperate to change the topic. He didn’t want Ravus to ruminate on the accident any longer, though he knew it would be difficult to persuade him when such a stark reminder was painted so clearly on his face. He turned to face Ravus more directly, resting a bent leg on the couch cushion and draping his arm over the back. “Something seemed to be bothering you when I sat down,” he said, resting his free hand on the stack of reports in his lap. “Do… if you wish to talk about it, I’m happy to listen, or offer an opinion. Whatever you prefer.”

Ravus let out a small sigh. He’d been bothered for days about his relationship with Ardyn - the little imbalances, the big ones, the struggles they’d had with communicating - but he was hardly going to dump all that on his unsuspecting lab partner. Still, the usual closed-off, back to business response didn’t feel right either.

He turned to face Ignis fully, running a hand through his hair to stall and collect some words together. “Just - a relatively complicated personal matter. Sometimes it can be difficult to know when you’re being taken advantage of, that’s all.” Reticent again, he looked down and picked at a loose thread on the couch. He didn’t know Ignis that well, but his straightforward kindness had made all Ravus’ emotions from the weekend rise to the surface again.

Ignis furrowed his brow. “Is it Aranea? She can be rather demanding, but I believe she is just focused on the project,” he said firmly. With a small laugh, he added, “If you remind her that you are merely a human and not a supercomputer she is much more cooperative.”

Ravus laughed weakly in response. “Oh no, Aranea is fine. I mean, you’re correct, she is quite demanding, but it’s not a work-related issue.” Damn, even that simple statement was complicated and not quite true in his mind. “It’s -” Ignis was so understanding - Ravus could hardly involve him in the odd, potentially improper mess he’d made of his personal life. “It’s fine. I’ll work it out. It is - nice to have work to focus on sometimes.” He looked up with a faint smile. “Thank you - it is good just to have an ear, too. I appreciate it.”

So it was personal. A boyfriend, perhaps, or a good friend were likely to cause that kind of strife. Ignis liked to think it was a friend, but he was probably wrong. It irked him more than he liked to admit to himself. “Of course. I’m happy to help. I wish you luck.”

Did he even want luck at this point? Ravus felt his cheeks warm a little at the other man’s concern, and it made him even more confused. He nodded and took himself back to his desk to continue working. “Thanks.”

As usual, Aranea pushed the door open and strode in without knocking. “Hey, guys. Lunch time. Ignis, you’re going with Cor. Meet him outside his office. Ravus, let’s go get a hamburger - I’m starving. And I need to talk to you about part of the project too.”

* * *

The door could be heard swinging shut behind Ignis as Luna sighed. She carefully gathered the multitude of concealers, tints, and moisturizers Ignis had perused and left on her counter before leaving, organizing them inside her makeup bag. Luna had tried, she really did, to convince Ignis to dress up the nasty bruise on his face. Instead, he’d opted to sport it plainly like a glorified battle scar.

As she packed her things, she remembered the brief conversation she and her brother had shared that weekend after the incident, she couldn’t forget the grief-stricken tone of Ravus’ voice. He really, truly had felt bad for injuring Ignis and she knew that seeing the wound for himself would only make him hurt worse. Ravus would never admit it out loud, but he was a very empathetic person, Luna found. Her heart hurt for the both of them equally and she hoped that their day wouldn’t be worse because of it.

Luna sighed as Crowe entered the bathroom, grabbing the glass that sat on the sink and filling it. “I wish he’d let me cover it up,” Luna lamented.

Crowe shook her head. “Poor guy. Probably better not to have all that gunking it up anyway.” She looked at Luna. “He’s not the type to make ‘you should see the other guy’ jokes, though. It should look a lot better in,” she pondered, “two or three weeks?” The injury was horrible-looking, she pondered, and probably painful, but Ignis had been lucky. It was just all bruising and small but ugly cuts. Structurally, he was fine. He’d definitely not enjoyed it at the time, but she’d checked him out enough to know that his nose and eye socket were intact. He also hadn’t thrown up at all following the significant impact, though his dizziness and dilated pupils had prompted her to check on him repeatedly through the night. She was glad he was okay, if a little battered. He was a good roommate for Luna and, she realized, had quickly if quietly taken a space among their tight-knit little group of friends. He lent a kind and sweet presence to their interactions and she hoped his first few bumpy weeks in town would smooth out soon.

Crowe moved past Luna to make some coffee. Waking up repeatedly to check on Ignis’ concussion had resulted in some hefty yawns this morning. As she ground the beans, she pondered the weekend. “You know, up until Ignis got hurt, that was a pretty good game. I haven’t blitzed in forever, and that new guy was good! Big tank of a guy, but surprisingly fast. I hope we didn’t scare him off by flattening one of our own.” She smiled wryly.

“Seeing as he had a good fifty pounds on my string bean of a brother, I don’t think we were too frightening,” Luna giggled. “Unfortunate, maybe, but not frightening.”  She sidled up to her girlfriend, rubbing her back and savoring the smooth, soft cotton of her shirt. “I’m glad you had fun. I certainly had fun watching.”

Crowe cackled. “You certainly did.” She turned and tapped Luna’s nose affectionately. “I did notice that you seemed to have a deep appreciation for our beefy new friend.” She pondered for a moment, objectively. “I don’t blame you. He definitely works hard at that body.”

Luna scrunched her face at Crowe as she touched her nose. “I mean, yes? I don’t know,” she giggled. “I guess so. He was rather…”

“Rather _what_ , Luna?” Crowe let out a deep, playful laugh. “Beautiful? Attractive? Sexy? I mean, you _did_ seem to be following his every move from outside the sphere. What’s the verdict? He seem like your type?” She snuggled into Luna’s arms and grinned up at her, enjoying the pink flush that started to dust her pale cheeks.

“ _Crowe_ ,” Luna whined, covering her blushing face with her hands. “He’s quite gorgeous, alright? I was only a little smitten with him.”

After pausing, she asked, “Is that a bad thing?”

“Not at all,” Crowe said, gently tracing Luna’s bangs out of her face. “You’re cute when you’re smitten. And I told you, I don’t have any need to be your only partner. If you find someone else that makes you happy, you should go for it. Just because I’m not seeing anyone right now, that shouldn’t hold you back. I mean it. Especially if I get to see you blush and giggle over him.”

Luna dropped her hands to her girlfriend’s waist, letting her admire the blush on her cheeks. She shyly looked up at her through blonde, curling lashes and smiled. “I know, little bird. I remember. I just don’t want you to think I’m unhappy, or wanting for more.” She kissed her in a chaste but tender way, holding Crowe tightly against her. “I love you.”

Crowe smiled, then gave her a dirty chuckle. “Remember last Thursday at my apartment? I’m pretty sure I know that you’re not unhappy or wanting more. If you can be more happy, that makes me happy. And I love you too, a whole lot.” She kissed Luna’s forehead and then looked into her eyes, smiling reassuringly. A slightly teasing look crossed her face. “So...you gonna ask him out?” Her eyes sparkled.

“How could I forget that Thursday? You, me, that _wine_ , that bathtub…” Luna’s shy smile screwed up into a more devious, flirtatious grin. She paused to kiss her girlfriend languidly, teasing her with brief nibbles to her lips. “Well, I _was_ thinking that maybe, perhaps, I would. After checking with you, of course.”

“I,” Crowe pulled Luna closer to her with another grin, “am fully on board.” She captured Luna’s lips in response. “Love that you check in with me, love your lips, love you.” The coffee beeped, and she ignored it. “I love you more than coffee.”

Luna smiled broadly as she ensconced Crowe’s neck in her arms and pulled her close. As she kissed her, she whispered, “Then prove it.”

* * *

Aranea was quiet most of the way to the student union, until they were seated at a table with their lunch.

She peered at him sideways a little, then launched. “So, your labmate looks like shit. You responsible for that?”

Ravus didn't know how she would have possibly heard about it, but he shrugged. “Yes. It was an unfortunate blitzball accident.” Ravus looked down, studying his lunch with the strong sense of guilt that had returned.  

“Oh, that's good.” Aranea crunched a fry.

Ravus' eyebrows shot up. “Good?”

“Yeah, I was worried you guys worked out your issues in a fistfight.” She laughed, and looked around the food court, sipping her soda.

Ravus smiled weakly, focusing on eating and decidedly _not_ on whatever “issues” he might have with Ignis. _He also listened to me talk about my boyfriend and I noticed how nice his hair is up close_ was not a sentence he was going to share with Highwind, no matter how demanding she was.

They ate in relatively comfortable silence for a while, then Ravus said, “So, is there a work-related reason for this little adventure, or did you just want company to take in the grandeur of the food court?”

She rolled her eyes at him. “So friendly. I swear, it's one of my favorite things about you.” She finished chewing and continued. “We need to talk about the research. Cor wants you guys onsite asap. I wanted to go, but I'm managing three other projects for him. As soon as he gets done submitting the paperwork for the Academy conference, he'll brief you and send you on your way.”

Aranea's mention of the conference was like poking at a bruise. Ravus tried and failed to avoid shifting uncomfortably.

Her gaze darted up shrewdly. “Assumed you were going with Izunia.”

Ravus wiped his fingers off with a napkin, doing his best to appear nonchalant. “We haven't discussed it.”

Aranea looked puzzled and vaguely disturbed. “Well, discuss it. You should absolutely go.” Despite his prickly nature, Aranea had seen Ravus' research; it would be a damn shame if one of the most promising up-and-comers in the department didn't go just because Izunia was a weird manipulative asshole.

Ravus cleared his throat. “I'm sure it'll be fine. Now, about the site?”

“Yeah. Look, I don't think you've been onsite before, so you need to be aware of the conditions. It's not a lab; it's not a library. It's cold, and damp, and potentially treacherous. Cor will give you maps, such as they are, and supply lists and detailed instructions. Pay attention to them. I don't want you guys getting hurt out there.”

A two-toned gaze darted over to Aranea, and she scowled. “Losing interns is bad for my reputation as supervisor.”

Ravus chuckled. “Noted. Anything else, oh wise overseer?”

Aranea grew serious again. “This - whatever it is you guys do, this bickering shit?”

Ravus flushed and was silent. He did feel unprofessional when she put it that way.

“Leave it out of the analysis. I mean it. When you read it, you can tell.”

He peered at her, and she raised her eyebrows.

“I speak from experience.”

Ravus burst out laughing, and she sat back and crossed her arms.  

“What, you don't think I know I'm difficult to work with? Ask Monica how fun it was to spend two weeks on rewrites because we couldn't stop indirectly sniping at each other.” She paused and thought. “Actually, don't. Because she'll probably still insist she was right. I’m just trying to save you from the same fate.”

They shared a grin.

“Noted.”

She stole some of his fries, and they continued to talk about the upcoming weeks. Ravus relaxed more than he had in days.

* * *

 A deep furrow formed between Cor's eyebrows as the man took in Ignis’ black and blue visage. Saying nothing, the man turned to lock the office door before shrugging his coat onto his shoulders and making his way down the hall at a brisk pace. Ignis trotted along beside him, eager to see where the day would take them.

He still hadn’t spent much time with Cor. The man was hard to find, elusive, almost. Cor kept to himself and when he was in the office, he usually worked with the door shut or closely with Aranea, casting off a strong aura of preferred isolation. When met in the hallway, he shared a curt nod, or brief wave, but not much more. Beyond their brief introduction and few emails, Ignis hadn’t truly interacted with Cor much at all.

As excited as Ignis was to get to know his cooperating professor better, he was nervous to say the least. Cor did not seem like an easy man to please. The fact that he’d asked to share lunch with him today sent a nervous excitement panging through his heart. Ignis wondered what he would be like; was that icy exterior just the tip of an iceberg that encompassed the man, or was he warmer than he let on?

“Where to, Dr. Leonis?” Ignis asked politely as they left the warmth of their building for the bone-chilling breeze outside. Thankfully, the bus was pulling up to the stop outside and they didn’t have to wait long for its passengers to depart. Winter was descending on Tenebrae. This weather was nothing like what Ignis had experienced in Lucis; where the desert he called home was tepid when it came to temperature and hadn’t seen snow in many years, Tenebrae was quite the opposite. Ice lingered in dark corners throughout the day and with the setting sun came impossibly cold air that nipped at the tips of his ears and nose. He could see why Ravus opted for warm flannels and thick boots.

“There’s a ramen place not far from here,” Cor replied as he grabbed a strap overhead to hold onto. “They have good lunch specials. Need something hot to fend off this windchill.”

Ignis nodded. “I agree. Ramen sounds delicious on a day like this.”

They shared a rather quiet ride. Cor occupied himself with his phone - emails, probably, Ignis surmised - while he spent the time trying to memorize passing landmarks. While Ignis had been in Tenebrae for about a month now, he was still finding himself horrendously lost in the sprawling city that encompasses Tenebrae University. As a whole, he loved it - the bustling metropolis was more than enough to keep him entertained - but he grew rather tired of getting lost.

“This city is a maze,” Ignis muttered, leaning over to peer more carefully out the window.

Cor huffed a breathy laugh. “Yeah. It is. I remember when I first moved here. Took me awhile to figure it out.”

“Glad I’m not the only one who has suffered from the labyrinthian quality of this beautiful city.”

Cor offered Ignis a small laugh and a curt smile. The rest of the ride was quiet, save for the hum of the bus engine and the chatter of fellow passengers. Ignis rather enjoyed the citizenry of Tenebrae; they were a quiet, kind people who kept to themselves and were well-mannered. The scenery whizzed by through the open windows as they approached their destination.

The ramen shop wasn’t far from campus. Nestled between two department stores downtown, it was easily hidden from the public eye. Ignis had almost walked past it, had it not been for Cor’s firm grasp on his coat sleeve, pulling him into the small shop’s warmth. The smell of miso and chashu assaulted his nose, while the sound of thumping knives and the slosh of broth filled his ears. The shop was busy, forcing the two men to sit elbow to elbow at the bar.

“Busy,” Ignis said, peering around the shop. Pieces of printer paper taped to the walls had scrawlings of specials on them in Lucian and Accordan; the Lucian translation left something to be desired, however. Ignis had a hard time translating the broken language.

From behind him, Cor chuckled. “That’s how you know it’s good.”

“I’m sorry?” Ignis said, nearly jumping in surprise.

“That’s how you know it’s good,” Cor said, leaning back on his barstool. “Ramen is best from Accordo. They know just how to cook the pork bones to make their broth.”

“I never pegged you as a chef,” Ignis said, a little smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

Cor shrugged. “I studied there for a few years. You learn things when the ramen shop’s the only place with a menu in Lucian.”

Ignis chuckled. He’d never expected Cor to cook or know much about food… maybe he should have given him more credit. Then again, it was hard to develop expectations of a man who didn’t say much. This lunch was already picking apart the very fragile image of Cor Ignis had developed in his mind. He wouldn’t say he was opposed to the notion of a different Cor, though.

“So, I should get…”

“The black garlic,” Cor said, gesturing to one of the pieces of paper taped to the wall. “Extra pork.”

Ignis nodded and they submitted their orders to the chef behind the counter. There was a quiet moment of appreciation for the life bustling around them.

“I’ll do that,” Ignis said with a smile. The two men ordered swiftly and watched as the chef behind the counter began preparing. He was elderly, yet skilled; his knife work was so fast Ignis could hardly see the blade move. He was impressive. Cor was watching as well; those steely gray eyes softened as they watched the blade move.

“Tell me about Accordo,” Ignis said. “I’ve never been.”

Cor sat back in his chair, his eyes still lingering on the ramen chef. “Was about…. Twenty-five years ago. Finished my undergrad early and was taken on by TU as a graduate student. They wanted me to do my first year abroad. Get a sense for foreign literature. Spent the next ten years there working on research.”

Ignis nodded. “I also finished early,” he said casually. Internally, he was excited, so excited to have something in common with someone so distinguished. He was by no means a literature expert, but he had taken the time to do research on his leading professor and was floored by the amount of research and theory Cor had behind his name.

No one had something like the Leonis Papers that were referred to as if they were a staple in the field without being somewhat well-known.

Cor nodded with a smile, which only floored Ignis more. The man did _not_ smile. “I know,” he said. “Don’t think I didn’t do my research, Scientia.”

Ignis gave him a perplexed look, to which the steely-eyed man replied with a laugh. “You graduated at the top of your class a semester early. You’re a chemistry major, but you wrote your application letter about cooking. You got straight A’s in English… and you don’t care about propriety and _tradition_ ,” Cor said, the last word full of vitriol.

“I’m sorry?” Ignis said, a bit taken aback.

“Listen, Ignis,” Cor said, “I work in a field where everyone respects those who are long dead and wrote words that don’t connect with today’s society. If you haven’t noticed, I wouldn’t care if Bahamut himself handed off those old texts to the first king of Lucis himself. I’m still gonna tear a big old hole in it. That’s where you come in.”

Ignis sat back, trying not to stare at Cor with wide eyes.  “Surely, if I’m interpreting this correctly… You mean the texts. The texts as in the texts the modern _Cosmology_ is based off of? The entire base for many of the religions of both Tenebrae and Lucis.”

He was answered with a nod. “Your chemistry will either prove or deny their validity. And Ravus’ work will provide the sociocultural background that supports it.”

“Good luck getting Ravus to agree to that,” Ignis said, shaking his head.

Two steaming bowls of ramen, loaded with pork that smelled heavenly, were set in front of them. Cor nodded his thank you before taking a hearty slurp of the cloudy, golden broth. Wiping his mouth on the sleeve of his cabled sweater, he added, “he’s already decided he’s going to try to disprove me. I look forward to the results of his endeavors.”

Both men laughed before tucking in. It really was a wonderful soup; the tonkotsu broth was earthy, savory, and rich. Ignis could see why this was Cor’s favorite place to eat and decided it would soon become one of his local places. Cor’s words brought him pause, though. Ignis was concerned that the professor would bring on a graduate student that was _so eager_ to disprove him. What if, in fact, Ravus was right?

“Aren’t you worried about what Ravus finds?” Ignis asked delicately.

A slurp. The clatter of a spoon. Once more, the sleeve traveled across Cor’s face before he answered, despite the fact that there was a napkin sticking out from beneath his bowl. “I can tell you’re worried for me, and I appreciate the care you’re taking in our project.”

Ignis nodded. “If he disproves you, then he could quite possibly invalidate my research as well.”

“I’ve been in the field a long time, Ignis. You don’t start something this controversial without a lot of thought and a lot of prior research. I’ve been seeing little holes poked in the ancient texts for decades now, and I wanna rip them right open. Sounds exciting, right?”

“Quite.”

“So then,” Cor said, leaning back in his chair, tilting it onto its back legs as he stretched languorously in it. “You ready for that?”

Without a moment to spare, Ignis replied, “yes.”

“Good, let’s finish up here, and go back to the lab. You have tests to run before we leave for the conference next week.”

* * *

The low light of the restaurant made the occasional glint off a glass or a piece of silverware all that much more noticeable. It was relatively quiet; a high-end enough place to avoid being raucous. The quiet conversations and slight clinks highlighted the silence at their table, and Ravus doubled down on it, stubbornly. He looked off into the distance, then across the table, silently daring his dining partner to break the silence.

Seemingly unruffled, Ardyn tossed his hair back and blinked at Ravus over a glass filled with wine, tilting the deep burgundy liquid and taking an unhurried sip before speaking. “I hear you’ll be off to the research site soon. You must be excited.” A topaz gaze slanted toward him, assessing.

Ravus shifted uncomfortably. It was annoying how Ardyn always seemed to know what was happening in his professional life, often before he did. The sense that Ardyn had been helping and guiding him had begun to fade in favor of the sense that he was being manipulated. He deliberately cut a slice of fish. “Yes, I’m looking forward to it.”

Ravus chewed silently, and Ardyn set down his wineglass with a gust of irritation. Ravus noticed, though, that Ardyn didn’t ask him to share what was bothering him. _He knows._ Ravus’ eyes narrowed. He lifted his own wine to his lips, the pale yellow wobbling in the glass and betraying just how irritated he was.

The silence stretched out between them, and as he often did, Ardyn switched topics to more professional subjects. He started asking questions about the research site and about Ravus’ planned contributions. Ravus answered, initially in a monosyllabic huff. Before long, though, his excitement and enthusiasm bubbled to the surface, and he started talking about his plans for the systematic review and analysis he had planned.

The topic of his research partner didn’t come up, and Ravus specifically avoided it when mentioning it might have made a certain amount of sense. It felt - strange, to talk about Ignis with Ardyn. He was also loath to confess to his sophisticated boyfriend that he’d shown poor judgment and been an overbearing brute during a casual game of blitzball, so he tiptoed around that topic as widely as he could.

Recalling his conversation with Aranea, Ravus took a deep breath and decided to just forge ahead bluntly. “What’s the situation with the conference? Are you planning on attending?”

The muscles around Ardyn’s eyes tensed just the smallest bit before he blinked innocently. “Oh, probably. It is somewhat of a regular thing, and the university does expect the department to make a certain amount of a showing. Why, were you interested?”

Ravus didn’t see fit to respond with anything but sullen silence.

“Of course you are. I should have realized.” Ardyn reached across to graze the back of Ravus’ hand with his fingertips. “We’ve both been so busy with the start of the year. It would be nice to have some time away, don’t you think?”

Ravus cursed internally as he felt himself soften. Intentionally or not, Ardyn had reminded him of a short trip the two of them had taken not long after they’d started dating. It had been just a long weekend, but it had been blissful and enjoyable in many ways, full of discovery and newness, and a faint smile curved the edges of Ravus’ lips as he thought of it. He pulled his eyes up to meet Ardyn’s gaze.

“Yes, it might. This semester has been - a lot, already.” Ravus tipped back his head and drained his glass, and Ardyn was already motioning for the waiter. The heated gaze Ardyn shot him as he scribbled on the bill, the hand low on his back as they left the restaurant - they were familiar, and made Ravus feel as though his recent frustrations might be a minor speed bump that he could move past.

Their conversation on the way home was easy, and the sharp coolness of the air outside lent a clarity to Ravus’ thoughts. At a stoplight, Ardyn reached over to tuck strands of hair behind Ravus’ ear, and left his hand on the back of the seat. As they drove through the dark, street-lit streets, Ardyn toyed leisurely with snowy strands.

Ravus felt a pleased blush rise to his cheeks, and as they pulled up to his apartment, he almost regretted the end to the evening. After Ardyn had shifted the car into park, Ravus reached over and tugged Ardyn toward him by his jacket lapels, meeting him in the middle.

No innocent good-night kiss, this - Ravus licked gently at Ardyn's lower lip and smiled. When Ravus got the hungry response he was looking for, he closed his eyes and leaned even closer.

Ravus let his tongue linger, touching it lightly to his boyfriend’s, and savored the little hitch in Ardyn’s breath as he claimed his mouth fully. Ravus tightened his fists in the nubbled fabric of Ardyn’s blazer and yanked him a little closer. Their tongues slid against each other in a heated, forceful dance, and Ravus sat up straighter. He used his height to press Ardyn back against the seat, enjoying the scrape of beard against his own skin as Ardyn opened his mouth wide.

Ravus was the first to pull back, enjoying the breathlessness in Ardyn’s voice.

“Perhaps… we should retire to my apartment?”

Ravus’ chin tilted down and he allowed Ardyn to view the heat in his gaze. “No, I’ve got to be at the lab early tomorrow. Maybe this weekend.” A faint smile teased at his lips and he tipped his head slightly to the side.

“See you soon.” Ravus stood up out of the car in one fluid motion, slinging his jacket over his shoulder with one finger, and walking with a languid, unhurried gait to the door of his apartment complex. He didn’t look back after he shut the car door, but his smirk widened when he heard the car idling all the way until he unlocked his front door and let himself inside.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments, kudos, and sacrifices to your favorite ancient deity are always appreciated.
> 
> Come scream at us on tumblr @stopmopingstarthoping @tinyconfectionary


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